RUSSIA 


IN 


REVOLUTION 

BY 

A"M    ■R'VT?  -\X/I'PTVn?  CQ 


^♦'Wi. 


? 


RUSSIA    IN    REVOLUTION 


M.    v.    kuDJANku 
J'RESIDKN  I     (i|      IIIK    IMI'I'.KIAI.    DIMA    r.NDKK     TIIK   Ol.D    AND    NKW 

(lOVICKNMKNTS 


RUSSIA 

REVOLUTION 

BEING  THE  EXPERIENCES  OF 
AN  ENGLISHMAN  IN  PETROGRAD 
^       DURING    THE    UPHEAVAL       fig 

BY 

STINTON 
JONES 

ILLUSTRATED 
BY  UNIQUE 
PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW   YORK 
McBRIDE,   NAST    iff   COMPANY 


r 


PRINTED   IIV    WM.    BRENDON   AMD   SON,    LTD.,    PLYMOUTH,    ENGLAND 


URt 


INTRODUCTION 

I  ARRIVED  in  Russia  during  a  revolt  ; 
I  left  it  after  a  Revolution !  In 
November,  1905,  I  went  to  Moscow  on 
some  special  business,  which  was  to  detain 
me  six  weeks,  but  which  by  a  combination 
of  circumstances  extended  themselves  into 
twelve  years. 

During  this  period  I  have  travelled'  all 
over  Russia  and  Siberia  and  have  therefore 
been  able  to  assimilate  the  ideas  of  the 
Russians  and  become  fully  acquainted  with 
their  country  and  their  innermost  life.  It 
has  always  been  a  matter  of  interest  to  me 
in  the  various  countries  I  have  visited  to 
study  how  the  people  live,  as  it  is  by  this 
means  that  one  is  able  to  appreciate  one's 
own  Ufe  in  the  world. 

During  my  twelve  years  in  Russia  I  have 
only  made  a  few  visits  to  England  on  special 


/ 


viii        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

business,  these  visits  being  for  a  matter  of  at 
the  most  one  or  two  months. 

My  business  has  brought  me  into  intimate 
contact  with  all  classes  of  Russian  life,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest,  and  I  have  always 
found  the  Russians  throughout  to  be  most 
kind  and  hospitable.  When  people  depreciate 
the  Russians  on  account  of  their  methods  of 
business  it  is  invariably  oecause  such  persons 
have  been  very  little  associated  with  them 
and  are  insular  in  their  views.  Really  to 
appreciate  the  Russians  as  a  nation  you 
must  be  broad-minded  and  understand  that 
their  code  differs  somewhat  from  ours.  It  is 
foolish  to  imply  that  because  the  codes  of 
honour  of  two  nations  do  not  agree  that  one 
is  right  and  the  other  wrong. 

To  me,  Russia  has  become  practically  my 
home,  and  whenever  I  have  left  its  frontiers 
I  have  always  felt  a  certain  feeling  of  home- 
sickness for  the  land  with  which  I  have  been 
so  closely  associated.  It  is  sufficient  proof 
to  illustrate  my  affection  and  respect  for  the 
nation  for  me  to  add  that  my  wife  is  a 
Russian. 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

When  I  returned  to  England  it  was  to  find 
that  Httle  or  nothing  was  known  in  this 
country  of  the  great  march  of  events  in 
Petrograd  during  the  five  days  of  Revolution 
from  March  loth  (February  25th)  to  March 
14th  (March  ist).  During  those  five  days  I 
was  either  in  the  streets  with  the  crowds  or 
in  my  office,  which  is  situated  in  the  Nevsky 
Prospect,  and  was  therefore  in  the  heart  of 
the  fighting  for  twenty  out  of  the  twenty- 
four  hours.  I  was  thus  able  to  see  things  as 
they  really  happened,  and  from  my  numerous 
friends  on  the  Revolutionary  Committee  and 
in  the  Duma  was  able  to  obtain  authentic 
information  as  to  the  happenings  at  Head- 
quarters. 

Rumour  I  have  sedulously  put  aside  as  a 
lying  jade,  and  during  a  Revolution  the  air 
is  as  thick  with  rumours  as  with  bullets.  I 
have  told  what  I  saw  and  what  I  gathered 
from  sources  that  cannot  be  questioned.  I 
have  many  personal  friends  on  both  sides. 
Revolutionists,  members  of  the  Duma,  officers 
and  working-men.  They  have  always  been 
frank  with  me  because  they  knew  that  I  kept 


X  RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

strictly  aloof  from  politics.  I  accepted  their 
hospitality  with  gratitude,  and  in  return  left 
them  to  manage  their  own  affairs  as  to  them 
seemed  best. 

To  call  those  Five  Days  a  bloodless  revolu- 
tion is  absurd  ;  but  to  call  it  the  revolution 
of  restraint  would  not  be  very  wide  of  the 
mark.  I  had  got  to  respect  and  admire  the 
Russian  people  ;  but  never  so  much  as  when 
all  outward  restraints  were  removed.  Then 
it  was  they  showed  their  splendid  qualities, 
both  individual  and  national.  They  killed 
where  to  their  ideas  killing  was  necessary ; 
but  the  blood-lust  of  an  unlicensed  democracy 
never  gripped  them  to  the  exclusion  of  all 

else. 

S.  J. 


CONTENTS 


CHAl'TEi; 

I.  The  Old  Regime    . 

II.  The  Sleeping  Giant 

III.  The  Starving  of  Petrograd 

IV.  The  Rousing  of  the  Giant  . 
V.  Red  Monday 

VI.  Hours  of  Crisis     . 

VII.  The  Reign  of  the  Mob 

VIII.  The  Dawn  of  the  New  Era 

IX.  Restoring  Order   . 

X.  The  Republican  Government 

XI.  The  Problem  of  the  Workers  and 
Soldiers 

XII.  Gathering  up  the  Threads 

XIII.  Incidents  of  the  Revolution 

XIV.  The  Future 


THE 


PAGB 
I 

34 
54 

73 

98 

118 

131 

159 
176 

208 

226 
239 

251 
271 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

M.  V.  RoDjANKO,  President  of  the  Imperial  Duma 

UNDER  THE  OLD  AND   NEW   GOVERNMENTS  .    Frontispiece 

TO   PACK  PACK 

An  Immense  Crowd  on  the  Nevsky  Prospect      .  72 

The  Tail-end  of  a  Crowd  in  the  Nevsky  Prospect  96 

The  Arsenal               .              .              .          .       .  104 

The  Remains  of  the  Courts  of  Justice         .       .  108 

The  Remains  of  the  Prison  adjoining  the  Courts 

of  Justice  .  .  .  .       .    112 

One  of  the  Requisitioned  Cars  .  .       .124 

Guns  behind  Barricade  Commanding  the  Litainai 

Prospect  and  Bridgehead  .  .        .128 

Soldiers  with  Red  Flags  Leading  an   Immense 

Crowd  in  the  Nevsky  Prospect     .  .        .    136 

The  First  News-sheet  .  .  .        .     140 

Group  of  Arrested  Officers  .  .  .        .156 

P.  N.  Miliukoff,  Minister  of   Foreign   Affairs 

IN  the  Republican  Ministry  .  .        .212 

The  Blizzard   that   probably  saved  Petrograd 
from  a  Reign  of  Terror  . 

The  Nevsky  Prospect  after  the  Blizzard    . 

Burning  the  Emblems  of  Royalty 

A  Section  of  a  Crowd 


220 
224 
240 
256 


RUSSIA    IN    REVOLUTION 


RUSSIA 

IN  REVOLUTION 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   OLD   REGIME 

TO  understand  a  great  national  Revo- 
lution, it  is  necessary  to  know  from 
what  the  people  have  revolted. 
Communities  are  more  long-suffering  than 
individuals,  and  when  huge  empires  such  as 
China  and  Russia  overthrow  a  form  of  govern- 
ment under  which  they  have  lived  for  cen- 
turies, it  is  because  that  government  is 
obsolete  or  tyrannical,  or  both,  and  ill- 
suited  to  the  modern  conditions  of  the  people. 
This  has  been  the  case  with  Russia.  In 
the  past  the  Divine  Right  of  the  Tzar  was 
sufficient  to  justify  any  act  of  the  Bureau- 
cracy,  and   a    patient    and  deeply-religious 

B 


2  RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

people  suffered,  and  accepted  as  the  will  of 
God  any  act  of  oppression  and  injustice  on 
the  part  of  the  servants  of  their  ruler. 

Hitherto  the  real  Tzar  of  All  the  Russias 
has  been  the  Almighty  Rouble.  Every 
official  was  as  venal  as  a  Chinese  professional 
witness.  If  you  desired  to  save  yourself  the 
trouble  of  a  Customs  examination  of  your 
luggage,  a  rouble  or  two  would  be  sufficient. 
If  you  found  yourself  at  loggerheads  with  a 
cabman,  a  rouble  or  two  would  gain  for  you 
the  moral  and  physical  support  of  the  police. 
The  United  States  of  America  has  been  said 
to  be  the  land  of  the  Almighty  Dollar  ;  but 
the  Dollar  is  a  muling,  puling  infant  compared 
with  the  giant  Rouble. 

Human  life,  liberty,  fame,  a  woman's 
honour — all  were  liable  to  be  sacrificed  to 
this  Moloch  of  Russia.  Everybody  knew  it 
and  everybody  accepted  it,  at  least  on  the 
surface  ;  but  underneath  there  were  subtle 
forces  at  work.  The  brains  of  Russia,  that 
is  to  say  her  most  enlightened  sons,  saw  in 
this  evil  something  that  was  threatening  the 
vitals  of  the  nation,  and  slowly  but  irrevo- 
cably there  grew  up  a  patriotic  party,  known 


THE  OLD   REGIME  3 

as  the  Revolutionaries.  They  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  NihiHsts  or  Anarchists.  They 
were  the  real  Russians,  the  patriots  who  saw 
the  suffering  being  inflicted  upon  millions  of 
their  countrymen  that  a  few  thousands  might 
benefit.  They  were  the  Crom wells  and  the 
Hampdens  of  Russia,  and  it  is  they  who  have 
struck  for  the  rights  of  the  individual,  the 
community  and  for  Holy  Russia. 

To  those  who  have  not  come  actually  into 
contact  with  its  inhabitants,  Russia  is  gener- 
ally thought  of  as  a  far  distant  land  noted 
for  such  products  as  bears,  wolves,  Cossacks, 
bombs,  eternal  snow,  and  people  of  a  low 
order  of  life  clothed  in  thick  furs.  Yet  in 
normal  times  of  direct  railway  communica- 
tion Petrograd  is  only  fifty  hours  from  Lon- 
don. Above  all,  with  Russia  is  associated 
that  terrifying  word  Siberia,  conjuring  up  a 
vast  collection  of  terrible  dungeons,  and  fear- 
ful mines  in  which  starved  and  tortured 
creatures  carry  on  a  miserable  existence 
under  the  control  of  warders  and  keepers 
who  are  little  better  than  beasts. 

This  seems  to  be  the  view  of  the  average 
intelligent  person.    Since  the  War,  however, 


4  RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

the  Russian  people  have  been  brought  pro- 
minently before  the  other  nations,  and  they 
are  beginning  to  be  understood  for  what  they 
really  are,  a  highly  civilised,  honourable, 
straightforward,  hospitable  and  gallant  nation. 
The  word  Russia  comprises  a  vast  territory 
populated  by  upwards  of  170  millions  of 
people.  This  population  is  scattered  over 
the  whole  dominion.  There  is  not  a  single 
city  in  the  whole  of  Russia  with  a  popula- 
tion of  two  millions.  The  population  of 
Petrograd,  Russia's  largest  city,  before  the 
war  was  one  and  a  half  millions  :  it  is  now 
about  two  millions  owing  to  the  influx  of 
refugees  from  the  invaded  provinces.  Again, 
no  two  large  cities  in  the  Empire  are  within 
400  miles  of  each  other,  and  in  many  cases 
villages  are  hundreds  of  miles  apart.  It  is 
difficult  to  realise  what  the  distribution  of 
so  enormous  a  number  of  people  under  such 
conditions  really  signifies.  The  means  by 
which  such  communities  are  linked  together 
leave  much  to  be  desired.  The  roads 
throughout  Russia  are  by  no  means  good, 
and  owing  to  severe  climatic  conditions  it  is 
very  difficult  to  keep  such  roads  in  decent 


THE  OLD   REGIME  5 

repair  or  even  passable.  The  railways  are 
insufficient  to  supply  the  enormous  demand 
for  transport.  This  can  be  more  easily 
reaUsed  when  one  considers  that  to  place 
Russia  on  a  par  with  the  United  States  she 
would  require  an  addition  of  at  least  60,000 
miles  of  track. 

The  Russians,  however,  have  handled  this 
difficult  problem  with  great  skill,  considering 
the  fact  that  the  people  have  had  to 
contend  with  the  almost  unsurmountable 
opposition  of  the  old  Government,  ably 
seconded  by  the  Church.  It  has  always 
been  the  chief  object  of  the  old  regime  to 
advance  its  personal  interests  at  the  terrible 
cost  of  suppressing  the  development  of  the 
nation,  mentally,  morally  and  physically. 

The  vast  area  of  the  Russian  Empire,  with 
its  small  scattered  communities,  has  played 
into  the  hands  of  the  Government,  enabling 
it  to  carry  out  its  dire  purpose.  To  achieve 
this  object  the  Government  developed  a 
mighty  organisation  and  employed  a  tremen- 
dous staff  of  men  who  were  wilUng  to  sacrifice 
their  fellows  for  their  own  advancement. 
This  organisation,  slowly  developed  through 


6  RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

generations,  finally  became  the  wonderful  if 
terrible  Police  of  Russia.  The  units  were 
trained  in  so  harsh  a  manner  as  to  eliminate 
entirely  their  finer  feelings  and  thus  give  full 
play  to  their  less  human  instincts,  making 
them  the  ideal  tools  of  their  masters. 

Germany,  the  land  of  organisation,  can 
boast  of  nothing  to  compare  with  the  Russian 
police.  With  all  her  defects,  Germany's 
organisation  is  schemed  for  the  nation's 
development ;  in  Russia,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  was  an  entirely  obstructive  organisation. 

The  police  of  Russia  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity, no  matter  how  degrading,  of  forcing 
its  will  upon  the  people,  both  high  and  low, 
the  only  exceptions  being  those  at  the  head 
of  the  organisation  itself,  or  such  as  were 
wilUng  to  pay  large  sums  as  bribes.  Bribery 
has  been  one  of  the  most  terrible  weapons 
in  the  hands  of  the  police.  They  were  given 
a  very  small  wage,  but  were  permitted  to 
extort  bribes  from  the  people  in  the  form  of 
money,  food-stuffs,  clothes,  etc.  This  accounts 
for  the  behef  that  all  Russians  take  bribes 
as  a  matter  of  course.  It  was  by  no  means 
uncommon  for  the  police  to  be  in  league  with 


THE  OLD   REGIME  7 

thieves,  and  they  were  frequently  party  to 
shady  transactions  by  which  the  general 
public  was  deprived  of  its  hard-earned  money. 

The  customs  officials  were  particularly 
susceptible  to  bribes.  Even  if  a  traveller  to 
Russia  were  carrying  no  contraband  and, 
therefore,  had  no  necessity  to  resort  to  a 
bribe  to  escape  the  heavy  duties,  it  was  a 
common  practice  to  hand  one  of  the  officials 
a  three-rouble  note.  By  doing  this  the 
traveller  was  saved  the  inconvenience  of 
having  his  trunks  searched  and  thoroughly 
disarranged.  Nothing  could  equal  the  skill 
with  which  such  officials  would  take  the 
money  without  being  noticed. 

With  the  Russian  police  the  practice  of 
bribery  and  corruption  had  been  reduced  to 
a  fine  art.  They  were  always  willing  to  em- 
ploy this,  to  them,  legitimate  tool  to  further 
their  own  interests  and  designs,  but  more 
especially  when  it  gave  them  an  opportunity 
of  using  their  power  against  the  working 
classes.  Their  one  object  was  to  suppress 
the  liberties  of  the  subject,  individually  and 
collectively. 

I  can  give  an  instance  of  this  that  came 


8  RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

under  my  personal  knowledge.  A  certain 
firm  in  Petrograd  employed  about  200  skilled 
workmen  on  important  erection  work.  Every- 
thing was  progressing  very  satisfactorily 
when  a  new  workman  applied  for  work. 
Within  a  few  days  of  this  man's  advent 
dissatisfaction  began  to  manifest  itself 
amongst  the  workmen,  who  finally  submitted 
drastic  and  impossible  demands  to  their 
employers,  who  must  either  grant  them 
immediately  or  lose  heavily  on  their  con- 
tracts. A  strike  ensued  and  pickets  were 
established.  For  three  weeks  every  possible 
method  was  tried  to  induce  the  men  to 
return,  but  without  avail. 

One  day  a  member  of  the  firm  happened 
to  mention  the  fact  of  the  strike  to  a  woman 
in  a  Government  office  whom  he  knew  in 
her  official  capacity.  "  You  want  my  hus- 
band," she  remarked,  **  he  would  soon  settle 
things  for  you."  An  invitation  to  dinner  to 
wife  and  husband  followed.  The  man  turned 
out  to  be  an  unimportant  police  official.  He 
was  told  the  facts  and  promised  for  the  in- 
considerable sum  of  225  roubles  (£25)  to  put 
an  end  to  the  strike  in  forty-eight  hours. 


THE   OLD   REGIME  9 

The  employers  jumped  at  the  offer,  although 
unaware  as  to  how  he  would  act.  The  only 
information  required  by  this  particular  poUce 
official  were  the  names  of  seven  of  the  ring- 
leaders of  the  movement.  These  were  sup- 
plied, and  within  forty-eight  hours  all  the 
men  were  back  at  their  work  under  the  old 
conditions  with  the  exception  of  the  seven 
whose  names  were  given  to  the  police.  Of 
these  men  nothing  further  was  seen. 

Upon  investigation,  however,  it  was  found 
that  the  police  had  first  of  all  forged  a  letter 
to  themselves  as  from  one  of  the  seven. 
The  letter  stated  that  this  particular  work- 
man wished  to  return  to  work  but  was 
intimidated  by  the  other  six,  whose  names 
were  given.  This  was  sufficient  for  the  police 
to  arrest  the  entire  seven  men  and  exile 
them  from  the  Petrograd  Government,  not 
only  the  city  of  Petrograd  but  the  whole 
province,  for  a  period  of  three  years.  Close 
enquiry  showed  that  these  men  had  been 
arrested  at  their  homes  in  the  night  and, 
without  further  ado,  placed  on  a  train  and 
sent  off,  regardless  of  their  families. 

The  most  curious  circumstance  was  that 


10         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

the  police  officer  actually  gave  a  receipt  for 
the  225  roubles  ! 

The  methods  employed  by  the  police  when 
they  wished  to  arrest  a  person  without  any 
apparent  excuse,  is  illustrated  by  what 
occurred  to  a  very  well-known  Russian 
Professor,  now  practising  in  Petrograd. 
During  his  younger  days,  and  while  a 
student  and  preparing  for  his  final  ex- 
amination, he  was  wakened  one  night  by  a 
knock  at  his  door,  and  upon  asking  who  was 
there,  was  told  there  was  a  telegram  for  him. 
He  opened  the  door  and  a  police  officer, 
accompanied  by  two  subordinates,  entered 
his  room  and  told  him  to  dress  immediately 
and  come  with  them,  offering  no  excuse 
whatsoever  for  their  action.  Knowing  that 
resistance  was  useless,  he  accompanied  them 
and  was  taken  to  the  terrible  fortress  of  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul  on  the  banks  of  the  Neva, 
opposite  the  Winter  Palace.  Here  he  was 
placed  in  a  cell  and  remained  there  for 
eighteen  months,  after  which  period  he  was 
told  he  could  leave,  absolutely  no  excuse 
whatsoever  being  given  as  to  the  reasons  for 
his  detention. 


THE   OLD   REGIME  ii 

Subsequently,  however,  he  found  out  that 
a  friend  of  his  who  had  been  frequenting 
Revolutionary  meetings,  had  been  arrested 
and  his  effects  searched  for  incriminating 
documents.  In  one  personal  letter  this 
Professor's  name  happened  to  be  mentioned, 
and  this  the  police  considered  sufficient 
excuse  to  imprison  him  for  eighteen  months. 
Even  when  he  was  aware  of  the  facts,  there 
was  no  possibility  of  redress,  in  fact  even  a 
protest  could  not  be  lodged,  because  if  he 
made  such  a  protest  it  would  probably  have 
meant  a  still  longer  term  of  imprisonment. 
Needless  to  say,  this  eighteen  months  greatly 
retarded  his  studies  which  took  him  a  still 
further  eighteen  months  to  complete. 

The  police  took  every  opportunity  of  ex- 
torting money  from  the  weaker  sex,  actually 
having  a  scale  of  bribes  to  be  demanded  from 
the  lower  orders  of  women  of  the  streets.  In 
cases  where  they  desired  to  be  revenged 
upon  a  girl  or  woman  they  could,  by  means 
of  false  and  trumped-up  charges,  bring  her 
into  disrepute  and,  unless  their  demands 
were  satisfied,  they  would  classify  her  as 
a  common  prostitute.    This  terrible  classifica- 


12         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

tion  would  be  indelibly  stamped  upon  her 
passport*  and  would  necessitate  her  being 
included  with  that  class  with  all  its  degrading 
associations,  and  henceforth  subjected  to  the 
weekly  medical  examination  ordained  by 
law. 

The  passport  system  of  Russia  was  in 
itself  a  most  wonderful  organisation,  for  not 
only  did  it  give  the  police  absolute  and  de- 
finite knowledge  as  to  the  exact  where- 
abouts of  every  individual  in  the  Empire, 
but  it  also  gave  them  an  excuse  to  compile 
detailed  records  of  the  life's  history  of  every 
inhabitant.  Good  points  in  the  careers  of 
the  people  were  not  notified  in  these  records, 
but  any  bad  points  or  slight  indiscretions 
were  invariably  magnified.  Thus  if  a  person 
broke  the  law  and  it  suited  the  police  to  take 
the  most  rigorous  steps,  they  would,  by  mag- 
nifying the  offence,  punish  the  offender  to 
suit  their  own  ends. 

In  a  case  where  a  person,  although  having 
committed  no  offence  against  the  law,  had 
earned  the  enmity  of  the  police  who  were 
desirous  of  getting  him  out  of  the  way,  they 

*  A  prostitute's  passport  is  yellow  instead  of  white. 


THE  OLD   REGIME  13 

could  by  magnifying  a  previous  offence 
formulate  a  serious  charge.  If  no  such  pre- 
vious offence  existed,  they  could  by  means 
of  their  paid  agents  concoct  a  charge  which 
would  give  the  accused  not  even  the  right  to 
a  fair  trial.  When  the  police  were  desirous 
of  having  a  person  disposed  of  in  this  way, 
Siberia,  with  its  sparse  population  and  vast 
territories,  offered  an  ideal  spot  for  enforced 
exile.  Once  dispatched  to  Siberia  there  was 
little  or  no  chance  of  return  to  home  and 
family  until  it  suited  the  police  to  permit  it. 

Even  foreigners  were  by  no  means  free 
from  the  passport  system,  although  a  foreigner 
generally  suffered  very  little  inconvenience, 
and  was  usually  treated  by  the  police  with  a 
certain  amount  of  respect.  Few  travellers 
to  Russia  were  aware  that  their  every  move- 
ment was  noted  ;  yet  such  was  the  case,  for 
the  police  of  every  district  submitted  a  full 
report  once  a  month  to  Headquarters,  giving 
particulars  of  the  movements  and  the  associa- 
tions of  every  foreigner. 

In  cases  where  foreigners  overstepped  the 
law,  or  otherwise  got  into  the  bad  books  of 
the  police,  they  were  given  their  passports 


14         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

with  the  special  request  that  they  would 
take  themselves  over  the  frontier  within 
twenty-four  hours.  This  meant  that  they 
would  not  be  permitted  to  return  to  the 
country,  and  so  complete  was  the  system 
that,  if  a  person  were  sent  out  of  Russia 
over  the  German  frontier  and  endeavoured 
to  return,  say,  via  Odessa,  the  police  there 
would  have  full  information  regarding  him 
and  complete  details  as  to  the  reason  why 
he  was  expelled. 

Some  idea  of  this  really  wonderful  pass- 
port system  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact 
that  every  person  was  forced  to  have  a  pass- 
port, which  contained  a  full  description  of  that 
person,  the  members  of  his  family  and  residence. 
If  a  Russian  or  a  foreigner  wished  to  spend 
a  night  at  any  particular  address  other  than 
that  inscribed  upon  the  passport,  it  was 
necessary  to  hand  his  passport  to  the  head 
house-man  or  dvornick  (a  sort  of  concierge) 
at  the  house  at  which  he  wished  to  stay, 
who  would  inscribe  the  circumstance  upon 
the  passport  and  due  record  would  be  kept 
at  the  police  station.  Thus  at  any  moment 
the  police  would  know  where  to  find  a  person. 


THE   OLD   REGIME  15 

In  Russia  separate  private  houses  do  not 
exist  except  in  villages  and  small  townships. 
In  the  cities  people  reside  in  flats  in  large 
blocks  of  buildings.  Some  of  these  buildings 
contain  as  many  as  six  or  seven  hundred 
flats  of  from  four  to  eighteen  rooms  each. 
Such  buildings  have  several  main  and  back 
entrances.  At  the  former  is  always  stationed 
a  switzar,  or  hall  porter,  who  lives  usually  in 
a  room  in  the  basement  of  the  building  and 
is  on  duty  day  and  night.  Such  men  are 
responsible  for  knowing  every  person  who 
enters  the  building.  These  main  entrances 
are  usually  locked  at  midnight  and  opened 
at  seven  in  the  morning.  Between  these 
hours  if  one  wishes  to  enter  the  building  he 
has  to  ring  for  the  door  to  be  opened.  If  a 
stranger  should  ask  admittance,  he  would  be 
asked  whom  he  wished  to  see,  and  upon 
giving  the  number  of  the  flat  and  the  name 
of  the  occupant,  he  would  be  escorted  to  the 
door  by  the  porter.  The  back  entrances  to 
the  building  usually  open  into  yards,  which 
communicate  one  with  the  other  and  can  be 
closed  by  means  of  a  gate  leading  to  the 
street. 


i6         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

The  entire  building  is  always  under  the 
control  of  a  stachi-dvornick,  or  concierge,  to 
whom  the  switzars  are  answerable.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  switzars,  the  stachi-dvornick' s 
staff  consists  of  a  number  of  under-dvornicks 
who  are  employed  in  keeping  the  premises 
clean,  removing  kitchen  refuse  from  the  flats 
and  in  supplying  them  with  the  necessary 
wood  fuel ;  coal  is  never  used.  Day  and 
night  one  of  these  under-dvornicks  is  stationed 
at  the  street  gate  leading  to  the  yards,  which 
gate  is  controlled  in  a  similar  manner  during 
the  night  as  the  main  entrances. 

These  dvornicks  are  in  some  measure 
servants  of  the  police,  for  in  the  event  of  it 
being  necessary  for  a  pohceman  on  point 
duty  to  leave  his  post,  he  would  simply  call 
the  nearest  dvornick  to  take  his  place.  This 
man  would  then  have  full  authority  to  act  as 
a  policeman,  his  insignia  of  office  usually 
being  a  green  sash.  If  the  policeman  re- 
quired to  send  an  arrested  person  to  the 
police  station,  he  would  give  him  in  charge 
of  one  of  these  dvornicks,  who  would  be 
answerable  for  the  safe  conduct  of  that 
person.      In  the  case  of  an  unruly  person 


THE  OLD   REGIME  17 

being  arrested,  a  number  of  such  dvomicks 
would  convey  the  captive  to  the  police 
station. 

The  stachi-dvornick  was  compelled  to  keep 
a  complete  record  of  every  inhabitant  in  the 
building,  and  it  was  to  him  that  all  passports 
were  submitted  when  one  wished  to  stay  a 
night  in  the  building.  These  paen  acted  as 
police  spies,  and  any  little  gossip  they  might 
overhear  from  the  servants  in  the  different 
flats  would  be  fully  reported  to  the  head  man, 
who  would  in  turn  record  these  matters  in 
his  books.  These  porters  were  always  very 
poorly  paid  and  were,  therefore,  very  sus- 
ceptible to  the  inevitable  bribe.  If  a  person 
wished  to  stay  a  night  or  so  in  any  particular 
house,  a  rouble  to  the  stachi-dvornick  was 
sufficient  to  prevent  his  passport  being  en- 
dorsed with  the  fact  of  his  visit. 

Another  interesting  fact  in  connection  with 
these  large  residential  buildings  is  that  the 
house  owner  is  responsible  for  the  upkeep 
and  general  maintenance  of  the  roadway 
immediately  adjoining  his  house  from  his 
walls  to  the  centre  of  the  road.  Therefore, 
throughout  the  cities  and  towns  in  Russia  it 


i8         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

is  a  common  sight  to  see  a  most  varied  patch- 
work of  roadway.  One  house  may,  for 
instance,  favour  wood-paving,  the  house 
directly  opposite  is  prejudiced  in  favour  of 
asphalt,  whereas  to  the  right  may  be  cobbles 
and  to  the  left  granite  sets,  a  different  form 
of  wood  paving,  or  even  macadam.  Each 
particular  piece  of  road  was  usually  quite 
good  in  itself,  but  where  one  type  of  road 
joined  another  there  was  usually  some  slight 
unevenness.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that 
every  house-owner  holds  different  views  on 
the  subject  of  road-making,  but  nevertheless 
patchwork  roads  may  be  seen  in  many  places. 
On  main  thoroughfares,  such  as  the  Nevsky 
Prospect,  the  police  in  recent  years  have 
issued  instructions  that  wood-paving  must 
be  adopted  throughout. 

Another  matter  which  is  the  responsibility 
of  each  individual  house-owner  is  the  clean- 
ing of  his  particular  piece  of  road.  On  this 
point  the  pohce  are  very  strict,  and  there- 
fore during  the  winter,  even  after  a  most  heavy 
snowfall,  the  roads  are  quickly  cleaned  and 
the  pavements  well  swept  and  sanded.  If  a 
person  should  slip  on  badly  cleaned  pave- 


THE   OLD   REGIME  19 

merits  and  injure  himself  he  can  claim 
damages  from  the  house-owner. 

This  system  of  managing  houses  in  Russia 
certainly  has  its  advantages,  but  neverthe- 
less it  was  a  part  of  the  police  spy  organisa- 
tion. 

The  inhabitants  of  Russia  having  such  hard 
task-masters  and  with  practically  no  say  in 
the  management  of  their  own  affairs,  were 
naturally  very  embittered  against  the  police, 
and  they  saw  in  Revolution  their  only  hope 
of  salvation. 

Any  person  possessed  of  more  than  the 
average  amount  of  intelligence,  and  who  was 
conscientiously  interested  in  the  immediate 
and  future  well-being  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
soon  became  an  object  of  suspicion  to  the 
police,  who  quickly  arranged  that  such  a 
person  should  disappear.  Thus  during  the 
many  generations  preceding  the  recent 
Revolution,  the  brains  of  Russia  have  been 
sent  to  Siberia  to  stagnate  out  of  harm's 
way. 

When  the  police  decided  to  exile  a  person 
to  Siberia,  they  gave  no  notice  of  their 
intentions.      The    hapless    wretch    had    no 


20         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

opportunity  of  bidding  good-bye  to  his 
relatives.  He  was  arrested  and  without 
further  ado  dispatched  to  Siberia  under  a 
number,  and  from  that  moment  all  know- 
ledge of  him  by  his  relatives  ceased,  unless 
they  agreed  to  bribe  the  police  to  be 
allowed  secretly  to  communicate  with  him,  or 
the  prisoner  in  question  was  sufficiently 
influential  amongst  the  Revolutionary  Party 
to  be  able  to  communicate  through  its  Secret 
Agents. 

Although  containing  an  enormous  number 
of  undesirables,  Siberia  possessed  remarkably 
few  prisons.  Owing  to  the  size  of  the  terri- 
tory and  the  fact  that  for  at  least  six  months 
in  the  year  the  ground  is  covered  by  deep 
snow,  also  that  the  villages  and  towns  are 
so  far  distant  from  one  another,  prisons  as 
we  understand  them  with  stone  walls,  dun- 
geons and  barred  windows  were  not  neces- 
sary. They  were  reserved  for  the  criminals. 
It  was  sufficient  for  the  police  to  send  a 
prisoner  to  any  particular  village  with  in- 
structions that  he  should  report  twice  a  day 
to  the  police  officer  in  charge  to  prevent  him 
escaping.    The  general  punishment  for  fail- 


THE   OLD   REGIME  21 

ing  to  report  at  the  stated  times  was  a  term 
of  confinement,  or,  in  the  case  of  an  alleged 
dangerous  prisoner,  death. 

The  prisoners  themselves  were  allowed 
their  freedom  in  the  particular  village  to 
which  they  were  exiled,  and  for  their  liveli- 
hood were  permitted  to  work  for  the  peasants. 
In  a  number  of  cases  their  friends  were  allowed 
to  send  them  money,  but  only  through  the 
medium  of  the  police,  who  generally  arranged 
that  the  hapless  individual  received  little  or 
nothing.  In  cases  where  a  prisoner  had 
shown  himself  in  private  life  to  be  exception- 
ally energetic  and  capable  of  influencing  his 
fellows  against  the  poUce,  he  was  treated  by 
them  as  dangerous  and  generally  exiled  to 
some  distant  village  in  the  far  north  of 
Siberia.  This  alone  was  a  terrible  torture 
for  an  intelligent  mind  to  be  thus  trans- 
planted to  live  among  the  lower  orders  of 
Siberian  peasants. 

In  addition  to  the  political  prisoners,  a 
large  number  of  criminals  and  murderers 
were  also  sent  to  Siberia.  These  were  mostly 
sent  to  prisons,  which  are  everything  that  is 
vile.     Murderers  or  prisoners  sentenced  for 


22         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

life  were  invariably  sent  to  the  mines,  which 
were  worked  in  the  Government  interests. 
Such  criminals  were  usually  chained  to  wheel- 
barrows, or,  for  those  employed  otherwise,  a 
weight  was  chained  to  the  leg  or  they  wore 
an  iron  belt  to  which  their  ankles  and  wrists 
were  attached  by  lengths  of  loose  chain. 
These  chains  were  never  removed,  and  death 
was  the  only  relief  for  the  miserable 
creatures  wearing  them.  Such  prisoners 
wore  distinctive  prison  dress,  but  as  an 
additional  precaution  against  their  escaping 
without  detection,  one  half  of  their  heads 
were  always  kept  shaved,  so  that  should 
they  ever  escape  and  allow  the  hair  to  grow 
it  would  be  of  a  different  texture  to  that  on 
the  other  side  of  the  head  and  also  of  a 
different  shade.  Thus  they  would  be  branded 
for  life  no  matter  where  they  went. 

The  transport  of  these  poor  creatures  from 
their  homes  to  the  point  nearest  on  the  rail- 
way to  the  place  of  their  exile  was  generally 
by  means  of  cattle  trucks,  in  which  as  many 
as  thirty  or  forty  were  herded  together  and 
fed  through  a  small  barred  window.  The 
trucks  were  not  opened  until  they  reached 


THE  OLD   REGIME  23 

their  destination,  and  such  journeys  might 
take  from  four  to  fourteen  days.  No  regard 
was  shown  to  sex,  both  men  and  women 
being  herded  together,  without  any  sanitary 
provision. 

Upon  reaching  the  end  of  their  terrible 
journey  by  rail,  it  by  no  means  followed  that 
they  had  finished  their  travels,  for  the  rail- 
ways beyond  the  limits  of  the  Trans-Siberian 
Railway  are  practically  nil.  The  rest  of  the 
journey  to  their  final  destination  had,  there- 
fore, to  be  made  on  foot,  or,  at  the  best,  in 
springless  carts  in  summer  or  open  sleighs  in 
winter.  Such  journeys  would  be  anything 
from  fifty  to  several  hundreds  or  even  a 
thousand  miles.  It  is  easy  to  realise  the 
awful  sufferings  these  poor  wrecks  of  humanity 
had  to  undergo,  with  nothing  to  look  forward 
to  but  a  terrible  existence  for  the  rest  of  their 
natural  lives. 

In  cases  where  prisoners  were  sentenced  to 
a  definite  term  of  exile,  never  less  than  a 
period  of  years,  and  they  subsequently  re- 
turned to  their  friends  and  homes,  it  was  in 
a  most  pitiable  condition.  Siberia  always 
leaves  its  tragic  mark,  turning  youth  into 


24         RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 

age  and  the  strongest  man  into  a  palsied 
wreck.  In  many  instances  a  man  would  be 
ruthlessly  snatched  from  his  home  without  a 
moment  in  which  to  prepare  for  his  departure, 
or  even  to  say  good-bye  to  his  family.  When 
he  returned  after  his  period  of  exile  it  was 
frequently  to  find  that  not  only  had  his 
home  disappeared,  but  that  his  wife  and 
family  had  either  vanished  or  had  died  of 
starvation,  or  worse  still  were  eking  out  an 
existence  worse  than  death  struggling  to 
keep  body  and  soul  together.  Such  men  not 
unnaturally  nourished  the  bitterest  feelings 
towards  the  Government  and  its  employees. 
They  had  only  one  hope — revenge. 

It  is  quite  a  common  thing  in  Russia  to 
meet  a  man  whose  appearance  would  indicate 
that  his  age  is  anything  between  sixty  and 
eighty,  whereas  it  is  actually  not  more  than 
thirty  or  forty.  Enquiry  would  generally 
elicit  the  fact  that  the  unfortunate  was 
studying  as  a  student  at  one  of  the  Universi- 
ties, or  as  a  peasant  working  on  the  land, 
when  for  some  trivial  offence,  possibly  for 
attending  some  minor  Revolutionary  meeting, 
he  had  been  taken  by  the  police  and  without 


THE  OLD   REGIME  25 

trial  exiled  to  Siberia  for  a  period  of  ten  or 
fifteen  years. 

In  parts  of  the  far  Northern  Siberia,  where 
villages  are  hundreds  of  miles  apart  and  the 
peasants  wish  to  travel  they  adopt  a  novel 
means.  Horses  will  not  stand  the  strain  of 
such  long  journeys  and  sometimes  trained 
wolves  are  employed  to  draw  their  sleighs. 
Such  wolves  are  captured  as  cubs  and  become 
domesticated.  These  animals  are  able  to 
maintain  a  steady  pace  for  many  miles  with- 
out tiring  and  require  little  food.  Two  well- 
grown  wolves  are  sufficient  to  draw  a  man 
and  a  sleigh  with  a  stock  of  provisions  for 
many  miles.  This  is  an  interesting  but  not 
unusual  sight  in  North  Siberia. 

Although  a  large  section  of  the  population 
of  Russia  is  highly  educated,  there  is  a  dis- 
tinct break  between  the  educated  classes  and 
the  peasantry,  as  practically  no  middle  class 
existed,  at  least  until  a  few  years  ago.  In 
Russia  the  middle  class  has  of  late  been 
growing  at  a  tremendous  pace,  and  without 
doubt  the  future  destiny  of  Russia  rests  in 
its  hands.  As  this  middle  class  develops  it 
will  have  the  advantage  of  youth,  inasmuch 


26  RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 
as  it  will  not  be  permeated  with  old-fashioned 
ideas,  but  wiU  start  its  new  life  from  a 
modern  and  up-to-date  standpoint,  using  the 
experience,  trials  and  adversities  of  the 
middle  classes  of  other  nations  as  its  founda- 
tion. It  will  after  a  few  generations  become 
a  definite  upper  middle  class  and  therefore 
raise  the  lower  orders  of  Russian  life  to  a 
basis  similar  to  that  of  the  so-called  lower 
classes  of  other  nations.  Then  Russia  will 
become  a  really  great  nation,  great  in  good 
government,  and  will  be  able  to  look  with 
pride  upon  the  fact  that  the  old  order  of  the 
peasantry,  or  serfs,  has  been  entirely  elimi- 
nated and  a  higher  standard  established. 

In  some  parts  of  Russia  there  are  several 
very  strange  little  colonies  or  communities 
which  still  exist.  They  are  the  descendants 
of  German  colonists  who  were  invited  to 
Russia  by  Catherine  II  with  a  view  to  showing 
in  a  practical  way  to  the  peasants  how,  with 
a  little  effort  and  patience,  the  land  could  be 
cultivated.  These  colonists  were  given  a 
certain  tract  of  land  which  was  considered 
exceptionally  difficult,  and  were  allowed  to 
employ  their  own  methods  to  improve  it. 


THE  OLD   REGIME  27 

Such  a  colony  still  exists  within  twenty 
miles  of  Petrograd  itself,  and  even  to-day 
they  still  retain  their  old  methods  and  habits 
of  life,  and  even  continue  to  speak  the 
German  language,  although  the  people  in 
their  immediate  neighbourhood  have  quite 
forgotten  that  they  are  of  German  origin. 
They  have  amply  justified  the  confidence 
that  was  placed  in  them,  for  the  land  which 
was  reclaimed  by  their  ancestors,  to-day  sup- 
plies them  with  a  livelihood. 

When  visiting  this  colony  the  impression 
gained  was  of  having  been  transplanted  into 
another  world,  for  each  old  haus-frau  was 
always  most  hospitable,  and  wilhng  for  a 
very  small  sum  to  supply  you  with  a  really 
good  old-fashioned  meal,  as  they  still  retained 
their  old-time  culinary  skill. 

They  have  naturally  intermarried  with  the 
Russians,  but  not  to  any  great  extent.  In 
fact  these  colonists  have  so  become  part  and 
parcel  of  their  immediate  surroundings  that 
during  the  Revolution  they  were  left  quite 
unmolested. 

Although  Russia  under  the  old  regime  was 
always   a   land   of   restrictions,   nevertheless 


28         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

owing  to  the  fact  that  such  restrictions  could 
be  removed  by  small  bribes  it  was  really  a 
land  of  the  fullest  freedom,  especially  for 
foreigners,  who  could  certainly  get  the 
greatest  enjoyment  out  of  life,  provided  they 
left  questions  regarding  politics  and  religion 
severely  alone. 

The  Russians  as  a  nation  are  very  musical, 
and  nations  with  such  tendencies  are  gener- 
ally great  lovers  of  pleasure.  Although 
home  life  as  we  in  England  understand  it  is 
practically  non-existent,  yet  the  average 
Russian,  more  especially  of  the  upper 
classes,  leads  a  free  and  untrammelled  exist- 
ence. They  are,  or  were,  hard  drinkers, 
heavy  smokers  and  good  gamblers,  and  very 
generous  with  their  money.  With  such 
instincts  they  are  able  to  get  the  utmost  out 
of  life.  All  the  large  cities,  and  especially 
Petrograd,  were  able  to  supply  unbounded 
pleasures  even  to  the  most  hardened  con- 
noisseur. Petrograd  itself  was  one  of  the 
gayest  cities  in  Europe,  for  life  to  the  upper 
classes  was  one  round  of  pleasure.  To  cater 
for  the  needs  of  the  public  there  were 
numerous  magnificent  caf 6  chantants,  dancing 


THE  OLD   REGIME  29 

halls  and  theatres,  and  certainly  some  of  the 
balls  held  throughout  the  season  were  of  the 
most  magnificent  character,  making  a  kaleido- 
scope of  beauty  with  the  wonderful  toilets  of 
the  lovely  women  and  the  gorgeous  uniforms 
of  the  officers.  Such  dances  were  kept  up 
throughout  the  night  to  the  accompaniment 
of  really  good  music. 

One  great  feature  of  Russian  winter  life 
was  the  Imperial  Ballet,  which  was  without 
doubt  one  of  the  most  wonderful  and  gorgeous 
spectacles  that  any  one  could  wish  to  see.  It 
was  only  by  booking  a  seat  weeks  or  even 
months  in  advance  that  one  was  able  to 
obtain  admission. 

In  addition  to  the  numerous  enjoyments 
obtainable  in  the  city,  Russia,  more  especi- 
ally the  north,  offers  every  possible  induce- 
ment to  the  sportsman,  for  in  the  winter  ice- 
yachting,  skating,  toboganing,  ice-hilling, 
snow-ski-ing  and  hockey  may  be  had  under 
the  most  ideal  conditions ;  while  in  the 
summer-time,  tennis,  rowing,  yachting  and 
bathing. 

In  Petrograd  during  the  months  of  May 
and   June   they   have   what   are   called   the 


30         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

**  W^ite  Nights,"  that  is  dayUght  throughout 
the  twenty-four  hours.  During  the  latter 
part  of  May  the  sun  is  visible  all  night,  and 
tennis  can  be  played  at  midnight.  It  is 
curious  that  during  these  White  Nights, 
although  one  certainly  has  less  sleep  than  at 
other  times  owing  to  the  wonderfully  clear 
atmosphere,  one  does  not  suffer  from  fatigue. 
In]jfact7in  Russia  very  few  people  do  suffer 
from  fatigue,  as  the  Russians  are  not  a  par- 
ticularly energetic  race  and  always  have  a 
"  zarftra,"  meaning  a  to-morrow.  They  are 
always  content  to  put  off  until  to-morrow 
what  is  likely  to  interfere  with  the  pleasures 
of  to-day.  This  expression  is  sometimes 
maddening  when  it  is  employed,  as  it  very 
often  is,  in  connection  with  business.  Another 
favourite  expression  universally  employed 
throughout  Russia  is  the  word  *'  nechevo," 
which  is  one  of  those  terms  which  mean  a 
hundred  things.  Nechevo  really  means 
nothing,  but  it  also  implies,  It  doesn't 
matter.  Don't  worry.  Don't  bother,  etc.  It 
is  certainly  the  most  aggravating  word  in 
the  whole  of  the  Russian  language. 

Owing  to  the  gay  and  irresponsible  lives 


THE  OLD   REGIME  31 

which  the  majority  of  the  Russians  Uve,  and 
also  owing  to  the  very  poor  and  old-fashioned 
sanitary  methods,  disease  was  prevalent  to 
an  alarming  extent,  more  especially  that 
terrible  plague  which  is  foolishly  called  by 
us  "  the  hidden  scourge,"  and  which  in 
England  has  recently  been  the  subject  of  a 
Royal  Commission.  The  Russians  use  the 
proper  term,  as  they  are  a  nation  of  broad- 
minded  people  and  do  not  attempt  to  dis- 
guise the  terrible  meaning  of  any  word  by 
substituting  a  phrase  having  a  cleaner  sound. 
In  the  towns  and  cities  the  disease  was  checked 
as  far  as  possible  by  a  most  competent  staff 
of  doctors,  but  in  the  villages  the  people  trust 
more  to  the  teachings  of  their  religion  for 
cure  than  to  medical  practice. 

The  great  majority  of  villages,  particularly 
the  smaller  ones,  looked  upon  doctors  as  beings 
of  evil  intent,  and  it  is  only  of  later  years 
that  they  have  been  convinced  of  a  medical 
man's  true  value.  From  this  may  be  easily 
understood  that  when  once  a  disease,  especi- 
ally such  a  one  as  **  the  hidden  plague," 
attacked  a  village,  it  had  every  opportunity 
of  spreading  its   disastrous  effects,   for  the 


32  RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 
Russians,  and  more  especially  those  of  the 
lower  orders,  have  Uttle  or  no  morals.  In 
some  of  the  far  distant  villages  it  was  possible 
to  see  practically  every  resident  suffering  from 
some  stage  of  the  disease.  If  medical  men 
attempted  to  visit  them  with  a  view  to  assisting 
them  or  to  reorganise  their  general  sanitary 
arrangements,  they  would  be  met  with  open 
hostihty,  the  people  being  convinced  that 
such  sufferings  as  they  were  enduring  were 
sent  to  them  as  a  punishment  by  God.  Such 
belief,  in  accordance  with  the  old  regime,  the 
Church  did  not  attempt  to  rectify.  It  was 
in  accordance  with  the  tradition  of  the  old 
regime.  In  the  cities  "  the  hidden  plague  " 
is  probably  more  prevalent  than  in  this 
country. 

Russia  may  be  described  as  a  magnificent 
place  for  the  classes,  but  a  very  indifferent 
one  for  the  masses.  The  twentieth  century 
seems  determined  that  the  masses  shall  rule 
the  world,  and  its  call  has  been  at  last  heard 
in  Russia. 

The  suppression  of  the  peasantry  and  lower 
orders  of  the  Russian  nation  in  the  past  was 
a  part  of  the  diabolical  scheme  of  the  Govern- 


THE  OLD   REGIME  33 

merit,  which  always  took  particular  care  to 
retard  the  education  of  the  people  as  much  as 
possible,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  even  in 
the  twentieth  century  the  greater  portion  of 
the  population  of  Russia  is  illiterate. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   SLEEPING  GIANT 

FOR  every  poison  there  is  an  antidote, 
that  for  misrule  being  Revolution. 
No  system  that  aims  at  enslaving  the 
spirit  of  a  people  can  continue  indefinitely. 
In  Russia  the  secret  Revolutionary  Party 
became  stronger  each  year.  It  comprised 
those  inteUigent  Russians  who  had  managed 
to  escape  the  eagle  eye  of  the  authorities. 
This  Revolutionary  Party  must  not  be  con- 
iused  with  the  Anarchists  or  Nihihsts,  whose 
watchword  is  destruction.  The  Revolutionary 
Party  is  constructive,  having  for  its  object 
the  overthrow  of  the  Government  with  the 
view  to  developing  the  nation  as  a  whole,  and 
relieving  milhons  from  its  awful  reign  of 
suppression.  The  Anarchist -Nihilist  group, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  mostly  recruited  from 
those  with  unbalanced  minds  or  actuated  by 

34 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  35 

ideas  of  revenge,  and  who,  when  occasion 
offered,  performed  acts  of  violence  or  assassin- 
ation, which  the  poUce  always  attributed  to 
the  Revolutionary  Party. 

The  police  were  of  course  aware  of  such 
organisations  and  used  every  instrument  in 
their  power  to  stamp  them  out,  but  their 
efforts  were  unavailing.  Owing  to  the  secret 
nature  of  the  Revolutionary  movement  the 
police  formed  their  special  Secret  Service,  the 
members  of  which  usually  consisted  of  the 
lowest  possible  characters.  These  were  de- 
tailed off  to  endeavour  to  worm  their  way 
into  the  confidence  of  the  people  by  any 
means  in  their  power,  and  so  become  ap- 
pointed to  one  of  the  numerous  secret  Revolu- 
tionary Councils.  When  such  an  agent 
succeeded  in  this,  information  was  promptly 
given  to  the  police,  and  in  many  instances 
the  members  of  such  secret  Councils  were 
arrested  in  a  body  and  dispatched  to  Siberia. 
The  Revolutionary  Party,  however,  was  not 
behindhand.  It  formed  a  Secret  Service  of 
its  own,  whose  agents  in  turn  wormed  their 
way  into  the  police  organisations  and  so  kept 
their  principals  informed  as  to  impending 


36         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

movements  on  the  part  of  the  police.  Many 
thousands  were  so  employed  on  both  sides 
through  the  country,  and  when  a  traitor  was 
caught  by  either  party  he  was  given  short 
shrift. 

Thus  for  generations  there  has  been  an  un- 
acknowledged Civil  War  raging  throughout 
Russia.  The  Government  through  its  police 
seeming  in  supreme  control  of  the  people  ; 
the  people,  on  the  other  hand,  striving  to 
break  down  the  police  organisation  and  over- 
throw the  Government  for  the  benefit,  not 
only  of  their  own  race,  but  of  the  world  in 
general.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  Russia 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable,  if  not  the  most 
valuable  country  in  the  world,  and  with  very 
little  difficulty  generations  ago  could  not 
only  have  been  made  self-supporting  in  every 
respect,  but  could  have  supplied  other  coun- 
tries with  an  enormous  amount  of  much- 
needed  products. 

Such  development,  however,  would  have 
been  in  direct  opposition  to  the  interests  of 
the  Government  and  to  the  personal  interests 
of  those  individuals  in  control.  More  especi- 
ally would  it  have  been  a  direct  menace  to 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  37 

Germany  with  her  ideals  of  world  power,  for 
through  generations  Germany  has  been  im- 
pregnating the  authorities  in  Russia  with  her 
own  ideas  of  absolutism.  It  was  to  Germany's 
interest  that  the  Government  should  have 
supreme  control  and  rule  with  an  iron  hand, 
and  thus  render  Russia  less  dangerous  as  a 
factor  in  opposition  to  German  interests.  An 
undeveloped  Russia  left  Germany  an  excellent 
field  for  her  produce  and,  at  the  same  time, 
permitted  her  to  keep  a  large  army  of  spies 
overrunning  the  country. 

For  many  years  the  majority  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  Russian  Government  have 
been,  if  not  actual  Germans,  at  least  Ger- 
many's paid  agents.  This  has  been  many 
times  proved  during  the  present  War.  In 
addition  to  Germany's  almost  complete  con- 
trol of  the  actual  Government  of  Russia,  she 
has,  by  means  of  her  well-developed  com- 
mercial organisation,  arranged  that  the 
majority  of  the  larger  works  and  industrial 
concerns  in  Russia  should  be  managed  by 
Germans,  or  Germans  naturalised  as  Russians. 
Thus  she  has  been  able  to  keep  her  finger  on 
the  pulse  of  Russia  for  her  own  interests. 


38         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

It  is  thought  by  many  that  Germany 
planned  for  Russia  to  enter  the  field  against 
her  to  give  France  a  greater  sense  of  security, 
the  ultimate  purpose  being  to  force  Russia, 
through  the  medium  of  Germany's  influence 
at  the  Court  and  her  agents  in  high  offices  in 
the  Russian  Government,  to  make  a  separate 
peace  and  so  simplify  the  overthrow  of  France. 
Then  as  a  further  act  in  her  diabolical  scheme, 
Germany  was  to  turn  upon  and  entirely  sub- 
jugate Russia  to  her  will. 

With  a  people  held  down  by  such  an  iron 
hand  and  with  secret  strife  simmering  through 
the  whole  nation,  small  eruptions  were  bound 
to  break  out  at  different  periods.  Such  out- 
breaks were  generally  classified,  incorrectly, 
by  the  Government  as  Revolutions,  and  were 
suppressed  with  the  utmost  rigour  and  brutal- 
ity, the  lives  of  hundreds  of  innocent  persons 
counting  for  nothing.  At  various  times  such 
outbreaks  have  occurred,  but,  owing  to  the 
general  ignorance  of  other  nations  as  regards 
matters  Russian,  they  were  considered  of 
little  interest  to  the  outside  world,  although 
when  successfully  suppressed  the  Govern- 
ment took  pains  that  particulars  should  be 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  39 

circulated  throughout  the  country  to  con- 
vince the  people  that  their  masters  were 
supreme. 

The  Revolutionary  Party  was  continually 
and  secretly  working  up  its  organisation  to  a 
point  when  it  could  feel  confident  of  bursting 
out  into  open  Civil  War,  and  overthrowing 
the  Government.  In  1905  such  an  attempt 
was  made,  but  its  non-success  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  Government,  through  its  secret 
agents,  was  able  to  force  a  premature  outbreak 
of  hostilities.  The  revolt  was  suppressed  with 
extreme  brutality  and  great  slaughter. 

When  the  police  wished  to  force  such  a 
revolt  for  the  purpose  of  weakening  by 
means  of  slaughter  the  power  and  spirit  of 
the  Revolutionary  Party,  their  method  was 
to  stir  up  dissatisfaction  among  the  peasantry 
and  working-classes.  If  peaceful  processions 
were  formed  by  the  people,  the  police  would 
arrange  for  their  secret  agents  to  mingle 
freely  with  the  crowds  and  then  perform 
some  act  of  violence  which  would  give  the 
official  uniformed  poHce  and  soldiers  an 
excuse  to  fire  on  the  crowds.  These  pogroms 
temporarily  damped  the  spirits  of  the  people 


40         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

and  so  broke  down  the  efforts  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary Party.  Nevertheless  this  simply 
added  to  the  determination  of  the  Revolu- 
tionists. 

The  Army  of  Russia  was  generally  regarded 
by  the  Government  as  being  loyal  to  the 
throne,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Russians, 
who  are  a  religious  and  superstitious  people, 
considered  the  Tzar  as  a  supreme  being  who 
was  not  only  head  of  the  Church  but  also 
head  of  the  Army.  Nevertheless  the  Govern- 
ment were  forced  to  recognise  that  the  Army 
itself  was  a  doubtful  asset.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  Cossacks  were  always  looked  upon  as 
being  absolutely  loyal  and  reliable  servants 
of  the  Government.  Further  to  ensure  their 
loyalty  they  were  better  treated  than  the 
ordinary  Army,  receiving  higher  pay  and  also 
invariably  a  special  grant  of  land  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  their  homes  when  their 
term  of  service  expired.  It  was  with  this 
backing  of  Cossacks  and  the  tremendous 
police  organisation  that  the  Government  were 
able  to  work  their  will  upon  the  people. 

This  state  of  affairs  has  been  going  on  for 
generations,  but  has  been  gradually  develop- 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  41 

ing  to  the  advantage  of  the  Revolutionary 
Party.  The  signs  closely  followed  during  the 
last  twelve  years  of  intimate  association 
with  Russia  have  proved  that  the  police, 
although  continually  strengthening  their 
force,  have  not  been  able  to  outdistance  the 
Revolutionary  Party,  which  was  convinced 
that  the  strongest  weapon  it  could  possibly 
wield  would  be  the  education  of  the  people 
as  a  whole  and  the  crushing  out  of  supersti- 
tion. To  attain  this  end  the  leaders  had 
gradually  developed  their  own  secret  system 
for  teaching  the  people  that  they  were  more 
than  chattels,  and  that  they  were  human 
beings  breathing  the  same  air  and  living 
in  the  same  country  as  those  in  supreme 
control. 

Their  efforts  were  greatly  assisted  by  the 
gradual  but  natural  expansion  of  the  various 
industries,  for  although  such  expansion  was 
extremely  slow,  owing  to  the  efforts  of  the 
Government,  yet  more  and  more  of  the 
peasantry  were  migrating  to  the  towns  and 
manufacturing  centres  to  supply  the  increas- 
ing demand  for  workmen.  This  gave  their 
friends  the  opportunity  for  which  they  were 


42         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

working  to  clear  away  the  old  inherited  cob- 
webs of  ignorance  and  suspicion,  and  allow  the 
simple  peasants  to  become  more  or  less  in- 
telHgent  units  of  the  community.  This  the 
Government  were  powerless  to  entirely  pre- 
vent. 

After  they  had  been  in  contact  for  several 
years  with  the  town-bred  people  these  peas- 
ants naturally  became  more  developed  men- 
tally, and,  upon  returning  to  their  villages, 
they  gave  details  of  their  wonderful  experi- 
ences to  their  friends  and  became  for  the  time 
the  idols  and  heroes  of  their  particular  com- 
munities. This,  together  with  the  still  in- 
creasing demand  for  workmen,  led  to  the 
more  adventurous  spirits  trying  their  luck  in 
the  towns,  and  thus  the  populations  of  the 
cities  gradually  increased,  at  the  same  time 
advancing  and  strengthening  the  power  of 
the  Revolutionary  Party.  This  advancement 
has  been  more  perceptible  during  the  last  six 
or  seven  years.  In  fact  the  majority  of  the 
villages,  except  those  at  great  distances,  have 
changed  in  many  of  their  ways  and  have 
become  more  or  less  modernised,  if  such  a 
term  may  be  used  when  one  considers  that 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  43 

they  still  closely  adhere  to  the  methods  of 
hundreds  of  years  ago. 

Russia  has  always  been  a  country  of  con- 
tradictions, and  it  was  possible  to  see  even  in 
some  of  the  smaller  towns  quite  modern 
practices  in  operation,  such  as  electric  lighting 
and  telephone  systems.  It  was  a  strange  ex- 
perience to  arrive  at  a  small  township  in  the 
wilds  of  Siberia  and  find  such  evidences  of 
modernity.  Although  the  Russians  were  keen 
to  take  up  such  advanced  appliances  of  civil- 
isation, they  were  very  backward  in  respect  to 
others.  For  instance,  there  is  hardly  a  town 
in  Russia,  other  than  the  principal  cities  and 
larger  provincial  towns,  where  there  is  to  be 
found  an  adequate  system  of  water-supply, 
or  the  slightest  trace  of  modern  sanitation. 
Even  in  Petrograd  to-day  quite  a  large  part 
of  the  sanitary  network  consists  of  wooden 
pipes  made  by  simply  boring  through  the 
trunk  of  a  tree,  the  ends  being  shaped  so  as 
to  fit  one  into  the  other.  As  a  natural  con- 
sequence, owing  to  the  accumulation  of  dirt, 
the  rotting  of  such  pipes,  etc.,  disease  is  pre- 
valent to  an  alarming  degree. 

Even   such   absolute   necessities   as    good 


44         RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 

sanitation  and  good  water-systems  were  sup- 
pressed or  retarded  in  their  execution  by  the 
Government,  although  numerous  projects 
were  continually  being  put  forward.  Owing 
to  the  system  of  bribery  and  corruption 
among  the  higher  officials,  such  projects  were 
always  deemed  too  expensive  and  thus  can- 
celled. 

A  Russian  village  does  not  mean  a  cluster 
of  well-built  clean-looking  little  houses,  nicely 
kept  gardens,  well-built  roads  and  well  cared 
for  cattle.  It  almost  invariably  consists  of 
two  long  rows  of  most  dilapidated  and  crest- 
fallen-looking hovels  situated  on  either  side 
of  a  bare  stretch  of  land  masquerading  under 
the  title  of  a  road.  Gardens  do  not  exist  and 
cleanliness  is  unknown,  not  only  as  regards 
the  habitation  itself  but  also  the  inhabitants 
and  all  their  possessions. 

Accustomed  as  they  are  to  living  for 
generations  in  such  a  state  of  dirt,  Russian 
peasants  do  not  realise  why  a  foreigner 
should  be  surprised  at  their  mode  of  life.  A 
long  journey  of  several  hundred  miles  by 
sledges  cannot  be  undertaken  in  one  day 
and  frequently  necessitates  the  spending  of 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  45 

one  or  more  nights  on  the  road.  The  journey 
is  usually  broken  at  some  village,  when  the 
head-man  is  only  too  delighted  to  offer  every 
hospitality  in  his  power.  If  the  arrival  be 
late  at  night  he  will  immediately  treat  you 
as  an  honoured  guest  and  clear  out  the  many 
inmates  from  the  best  bedroom  ;  this  he  will 
offer  to  you. 

The  Russian  peasants'  houses  generally 
consist  of  two  or  three  rooms,  and  in  these 
rooms  probably  a  family  of  twelve  or  fourteen 
persons  will  live,  which  naturally  reduces 
the  sleeping  accommodation  to  a  minimum  ; 
nevertheless  one  room  is  always  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  a  visitor.  They  will  also  do 
their  utmost  for  your  personal  comfort, 
bringing  out  their  best  samovar,  glasses  and 
tablecloth,  together  with  the  best  the  larder 
can  offer. 

This  all  sounds  very  pleasant  and  cosy, 
and  so  it  is  for  the  first  few  minutes  until 
you  become  used  to  the  dim  light  from  the 
oil  lamp  or  candles  and  glance  at  the  walls 
of  the  room,  then  you  notice  that  they  are 
apparently  moving,  and  literally  so  they  are. 
The   Russian  peasants   appear  to   be   quite 


46         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

immune  from  insect  bites.  In  addition  the 
floors  are  generally  well  populated  by  tre- 
mendous brown  and  black  beetles.  What- 
ever your  feelings  at  the  moment,  it  is  diffi- 
-cult  to  refuse  the  well-meant  hospitality  of 
these  splendid  Russians.  The  only  thing  to 
be  done  is  immediately  to  conjure  up  a 
diplomatic  excuse  for  passing  the  night  well 
wrapped  up  in  the  sledge  outside,  rather 
than  face  the  ordeal  of  passing  a  restless 
night  within. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  tempera- 
ture within  the  rooms  is  almost  unbearable, 
especially  as  we  clothe  ourselves.  In  some 
of  the  very  poor  villages  in  the  North,  where 
the  temperature  falls  to  an  extremely  low 
point,  the  villagers  find  it  difficult,  especially 
after  an  exceptionally  heavy  snowfall,  to 
obtain  and  bring  in  the  necessary  fuel  for 
the  stove,  and  therefore  hoard  up  what  they 
have  for  cooking  purposes.  As  a  means  of 
keeping  the  house  warm,  they  cover  the 
whole  building,  with  the  exception  of  the 
door  and  windows,  with  an  additional  wall 
of  manure.  The  result  is  that  both  tempera- 
ture and  odour  are  fairly  high. 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  47 

In  spite  of  this  the  Russians  in  accordance 
with  the  teaching  of  their  reUgion  take  great 
pains  to  have  a  thorough  bodily  cleansing 
once  a  week,  and  for  this  purpose  every 
village  has  at  least  one  building  known  as 
"  The  Bath,"  where  people  can  go  and  have 
the  pleasure  of  a  thoroughly  good  wash  on 
the  Russian  system.  The  bath  generally 
consists  of  three  large  rooms,  the  first  being 
for  disrobing,  the  second  a  large  washing- 
room  with  a  good  supply  of  soap  and  clean 
water,  from  which  after  having  washed 
themselves  thoroughly  they  pass  on  to  the 
third  apartment.  This  is  the  steam-room, 
heated  to  a  very  high  temperature,  contain- 
ing a  large  number  of  tiers  or  steps  reaching 
to  the  roof  ;  the  higher  you  go  the  hotter 
it  gets.  Having  cleansed  his  body  in  a  way 
that  would  satisfy  the  most  enthusiastic 
hygienist,  the  Russian  invariably  dons  the 
same  dirty  clothes  he  had  taken  off  on  enter- 
ing the  bath  ! 

In  the  poorer  villages  the  different  sexes 
take  it  in  turn  to  use  the  bath,  but  in  the 
towns  and  cities  such  baths,  on  a  larger  scale, 
generally  contain  separate  sections,  one  for 


48         RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 

males  and  the  other  for  females.  Such  baths 
in  the  big  cities  are  generally  magnificent 
buildings,  containing  well-appointed  rooms 
where  one  can  have  every  possible  conveni- 
ence. A  special  masseur  or  masseuse  is  on 
hand  if  required.  These  buildings  usually 
contain  a  large  number  of  suites  of  rooms  or 
private  baths,  each  suite  consisting  of  a 
dressing-room,  a  washing-room  and  a  steam- 
ing-room.  As  a  rule  these  suites  are  very 
well  appointed.  Admission  to  them  is  gener- 
ally through  a  separate  main  entrance,  and 
credentials  or  marriage  certificates  are  not 
demanded  from  those  using  them.  Such  is 
Russia  ! 

The  Russian  peasant  is  a  very  patient  and 
by  no  means  energetic  person.  He  takes 
very  little  interest  in  his  personal  comfort, 
his  chief  object  in  life  being  to  get  sufficient 
food  to  eat  and  clothing  to  wear.  This  to 
the  average  person  throughout  the  world  is 
sufficient,  but  there  are  very  few  people  who 
would  be  content  with  the  food  or  the  clothing 
of  the  Russian  peasant .  Owing  to  the  severity 
of  the  winter,  the  houses  are  almost  her- 
metically  sealed   and   heated   by   means  of 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  49 

wood  fuel  in  large  brick  and  stone  stoves, 
which  when  once  heated  retain  their  heat 
for  several  days.  This  raises  the  atmosphere 
of  the  houses  to  a  temperature  which  would 
be  almost  unbearable  to  us  and  yet  satisfies 
the  needs  of  the  Russians,  whose  clothes 
throughout  the  year  are  of  the  most  scanty 
description,  their  chief  if  not  their  only 
garments  being  a  shirt,  a  pair  of  trousers  -and 
a  pair  of  boots,  the  shirt  being  invariably 
worn  outside  the  trousers  and  the  trousers 
inside  the  boots. 

As  regards  food,  the  Russian  peasant  is 
contented  if  he  has  a  sufficient  supply  of 
black  rye  bread  and  hot  tea.  The  latter  he 
seems  to  have  ready  at  all  times  and  con- 
sumes in  large  quantities.  It  is  usually 
drunk  without  milk,  a  slice  of  lemon  being 
substituted.  This  continual  tea  drinking  is 
to  supply  the  system  with  moisture  to  counter- 
act the  effect  of  the  tremendously  overheated 
rooms. 

The  Russian  method  of  making  tea  is  quite 
distinct  from  that  employed  in  this  country, 
for  by  our  methods  it  would  be  difficult  to  be 
provided  practically  day  and  night  with  the 


50         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

means  of  obtaining  hot  tea  at  a  moment's 
notice.  The  Russians,  however,  use  a  boiling 
machine  known  as  the  samovar,  which  is 
always  to  be  found,  even  in  the  homes  of  the 
very  poorest.  This  samovar  consists  of  a 
metal  boiler,  generally  made  into  some  fancy 
form,  and  through  this  boiler  is  arranged  a 
vertical  pipe  with  a  grating  at  the  bottom 
to^.' allow  for  draught.  Into  this  pipe  small 
splinters  of  lighted  wood  are  thrown  and 
above  this  is  added  a  quantity  of  wood 
charcoal,  which  when  it  becomes  ignited 
bums  slowly  and  heats  the  water  which  is 
poured  into  the  boiler  completely  surrounding 
the  pipe. 

When  the  charcoal  has  been  sufficiently 
consumed  to  give  off  its  gases,  the  smouldering 
embers  remain  and  these  keep  the  water 
boiling.  A  quantity  of  very  strong  tea  is 
then  made  in  a  small  teapot  and  when  a 
glass  of  tea  (the  Russians  seldom,  if  ever,  use 
cups)  is  required  they  pour  into  the  glass  a 
small  quantity  of  this  strong  brew  and  add 
to  it  boiling  water  from  the  samovar,  which 
is  supplied  with  a  small  tap. 

Tliese  samovars  are  made  in  all  sizes,  some 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  51 

of  them  large  enough  to  supply  a  hundred 
glasses,  so  that  as  long  as  the  water  remains 
hot  a  glass  of  tea  is  available.  The  small  pot 
of  brew  is  often  allowed  to  get  cold,  and  it  is 
invariably  the  habit  of  the  Russians  that 
directly  the  water  in  the  samovar  has  been 
used  or  has  cooled  down  a  fresh  supply  is 
boiled.  The  standard  food  of  black  bread  is 
generally  supplemented  by  fish  and  some- 
times by  meat. 

Every  peasant,  no  matter  how  poor,  has  a 
good  overcoat,  this  being  generally  made  of 
goatskin  or  sheepskin,  with  the  wool  inside. 
In  addition  to  the  coat  they  always  possess 
at  least  one  pair  of  **  varlinkies,"  or  felt 
over-boots,  which  reach  at  least  to  the  knee 
and  sometimes  to  the  thigh.  In  the  northern 
villages  felt  is  replaced  by  wolf-skin,  always 
with  the  fur  inside.  When  they  go  into  the 
cold,  all  Russians  take  the  precaution  of 
putting  on  and  buttoning  up  their  over- 
coats before  leaving  the  house.  The  coats 
are  warmed  before  they  are  put  on,  as 
they  always  hang  in  a  temperature  similar  to 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  house.  In  this  country 
in  the  winter-time  an  overcoat  would  be  more 


52         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

appreciated  if  one  would  warm  the  inside 
before  putting  it  on. 

The  houses  throughout  Russia  are  built  with 
double  windows  and  double  doors,  one  set  of 
windows  being  taken  out  during  the  summer 
months  and  replaced  for  the  winter.  The 
crevices  are  generally  sealed  with  putty,  thus 
enclosing  a  partition  of  air  between  the  two 
windows,  which  acts  as  an  insulator  and  pre- 
vents the  outside  cold  from  affecting  the 
temperature  of  the  room.  Between  the  two 
windows  is  generally  placed  a  small  jar  of 
moisture-absorbing  acid,  so  as  to  keep  the 
partition  of  air  free  from  moisture  and  thus 
eliminate  the  possibility  of  frost  forming  on 
the  windows.  This  is  also  practised  in  the 
majority  of  the  shops,  for  in  those  where 
this  system  is  not  employed  the  windows 
quickly  become  covered  on  the  inside  with 
a  thick  coating  of  frost  which  prevents  the 
passer-by  from  seeing  the  goods  displayed. 

The  cattle  and  horses  receive  no  attention 
whatever  beyond  the  bare  feeding.  In  every 
village  there  are  generally  two  houses  that 
stand  out  beyond  the  rest,  one  of  these  being 
occupied  by  the  police  officer  and  the  other 


THE  SLEEPING  GIANT  53 

by  the  priest.  The  official  lives  by  what  he 
can  extort  from  the  peasants,  while  the  priest 
lives  on  their  bounty.  The  Russians  never 
deny  the  Church  their  best,  for  as  a  nation 
they  are  as  devout  as  they  are  hospitable,  and 
they  are  always  willing  to  share  their  last  crust 
with  a  friend  or  traveller. 

The  great  difficulties  of  the  Revolutionary 
movement  may  be  appreciated  from  the  fact 
that  it  has  had  to  develop  its  organisation 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  Empire  and  yet 
be  certain  of  secrecy.  It  is  thanks  to  the 
Revolutionary  Party  that  such  communities 
as  I  have  described  have  been  able  to  develop 
and  gradually  become  more  modernised. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD 

IN  the  abolition  of  that  terrible  drink 
vodka,  Russia  took  her  first  step  in  the 
direction  of  her  own  salvation.  For 
generations  vodka  has  been  the  curse  of 
Russia  and  has  been  a  tremendously  strong 
tool  in  the  hands  of  the  Government,  for  it 
was  supplied  to  the  people  in  unlimited 
quantities  under  Government  monopoly, 
from  which  a  tremendous  revenue  was  de- 
rived. At  the  commencement  of  the  War 
the  more  intelligent  members  of  the  Russian 
communities  were  convinced  that  little  would 
be  achieved  if  vodka  were  allowed  to  con- 
tinue its  terrible  devastation  of  the  race. 
Vodka  is  a  drink  that  is  very  little  under- 
stood outside  Russia.  It  is  really  half  potato 
spirit  half  adulteration,  and  has  always  been 
consumed  in  large  quantities  by  the  Russians. 

54 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     55 

Taken  in  small  quantities  as  an  appetiser 
before  a  good  meal  it  is  certainly  excellent 
and  stimulates  the  appetite,  bringing  out  the 
flavour  of  food,  but  taken  in  large  quantities 
before  a  small  meal  and  that  consisting  of, 
say,  a  piece  of  fish  and  a  quantity  of  black 
bread,  it  is  bad  for  the  system.  It  becomes 
more  and  more  inviting  as  one  acquires  the 
taste  and  habit. 

To  further  its  own  interests  the  Govern- 
ment arranged  that  a  good  supply  of  vodka 
should  be  available  in  every  town,  city  and 
village  throughout  the  Empire.  Thus  the 
majority  of  the  lower  classes  acquired  or 
inherited  the  vodka  habit,  spending  most  of 
their  hard-earned  money  in  its  purchase. 
The  result  was  impaired  health,  and  in  many 
cases  the  reduction  of  their  families  almost 
to  the  verge  of  starvation,  owing  to  the  bread- 
winner spending  practically  every  copeck  on 
vodka. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  estimate  how  much 
the  abolition  of  this  national  drink  has  con- 
tributed towards  the  saving  of  Russia,  for 
the  good  effects  of  its  abolition  soon  became 
apparent.       Where     previously     the     lower 


56         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

classes  had  spent  all,  or  the  greater  portion, 
of  their  earnings  upon  drink,  and  thereby 
sacrificed  the  health  and  comfort  of  themselves 
and  their  families,  now  they  are  able  with 
their  minds  clear  to  realise  the  terrible 
effects  which  it  had  had  upon  them.  They 
also  had  the  greater  comfort  of  having 
money  to  spend  upon  their  personal  require- 
ments. 

The  abolition  of  vodka,  however,  was  to 
have  the  most  far-reaching  effects.  Having 
more  money  to  spend  on  their  personal 
comforts  has  opened  the  eyes  of  the  peasantry 
and  working -classes  to  the  terrible  state  in 
which  they  have  been  living  for  generations. 
Their  first  impulse  on  finding  they  had 
money  to  spare  was  to  buy  new  clothes. 
When  they  saw  that  these  new  clothes  were 
rapidly  getting  spoiled  by  contact  with  their 
uncleaned  habitations  and  general  surround- 
ings, it  became  obvious  to  them  that  still 
greater  comfort  in  life  could  be  obtained  by 
taking  a  little  care  as  to  personal  and  domestic 
cleanliness.  They  were  able  to  buy  more 
articles  of  furniture  and  further  add  to  their 
comfort.    In  consequence,  during  the  last  two 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     57 

years  the  majority  of  the  villages  have  taken 
on  a  different  aspect,  in  particular  as  regards 
cleanliness. 

Again,  while  they  were  slaves  to  the  vodka 
habit  and  always  craving  for  further  supplies, 
they  were  willing  to  sacrifice  the  produce  of 
their  land  at  a  low  price,  or  even  mortgage 
their  homesteads,  to  enable  them  to  satisfy 
their  cravings.  Now  they  are  saving  money, 
are  more  shrewd  in  their  dealings  with  the 
middleman  and  are  increasing  their  holdings 
of  land. 

In  fact,  last  year  not  only  did  the  peasants 
begin  to  reaHse  the  advantage  of  saving 
money,  but  from  all  over  the  country  there 
was  a  cry  of  ' '  What  are  we  to  do  with  our 
money  now  ?  "  This  appeal  was  immediately 
answered  by  the  inauguration  of  banks 
which  accepted  the  peasants'  small  savings 
on  deposit  at  a  reasonable  interest.  Such 
banks  the  State  was  forced  to  start,  and  now 
there  is  hardly  a  small  town  or  village 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  country  without 
a  bank  of  its  own.  There  are,  of  course,  still 
extremists  who  have  not  yet  lost  the  craving 
for  the  spirit,  and  they  resort  to  numerous 


58         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

and    curious    methods    for    obtaining    their 
beloved  vodka. 

In  Russia  it  has  always  been  a  very 
dangerous  policy  to  talk  or  even  think  of 
politics  or  religion  owing  to  the  legions  of 
police  spies  everywhere.  In  spite  of  this  the 
Revolutionary  Movement  has  been  growing 
at  a  rapid  pace.  Where  only  three  years  ago 
one  hardly  dare  whisper  of  revolution,  since 
the  commencement  of  the  War,  when  the 
people  began  to  awake  to  the  fact  that  the 
Government  were  really  not  working  for  the 
interests  of  the  nation,  these  whispers  of 
Revolution  gi'adually  grew  into  open  but 
guarded  talk.  During  the  past  year  this 
again  has  developed  into  open  discussion, 
not  as  regards  a  Revolution  to  stop  the  War, 
or  in  any  way  injure  the  cause  of  the  Allies, 
but  to  overthrow  the  Government  with  its 
German  intrigues  and  to  establish  an  adminis- 
tration that  would  really  and  honestly  work 
for  the  interests  of  the  people.  Above  all, 
permit  Russia  to  give  the  full  weight  of  her 
sword  to  the  cause  of  justice. 

Nevertheless    the    people,    or    rather    the 
Revolutionary   Party,   were    not    yet    quite 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     59 

confident  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  the  over- 
throw of  the  Government  without  jeopardising 
Russia's  position  with  the  AUies,  and  the 
Revolutionary  Party,  and  in  fact  the  general 
public,  have  been  lately  openly  discussing 
the  Revolution  that  was  to  take  place  after 
the  War.  Then  the  Revolutionary  Party 
felt  convinced  that  it  would  have  sufficient 
power  to  break  out  into  open  Civil  War  and 
force  the  Government  to  meet  its  demands. 

The  Revolutionaries  placed  great  hopes  on 
the  returning  soldiers,  who  having  been 
recruited  from  villages  from  all  parts  of  the 
Empire,  had  had  opportunities  of  general 
intercourse  with  each  other.  Their  outlook 
had  been  enlarged  and  they  had  become  more 
broad-minded  and  less  superstitious,  more 
awake  to  the  fact  that,  collectively,  they 
would  possess  an  enormous  power.  In  short, 
strengthened  by  the  Revolutionary  organisa- 
tion and  the  huge  accumulation  of  secretly- 
stored  arms,  they  could  overthrow  the 
Government  in  open  fight.  The  Government 
were  aware  of  this  feeling  and  were  forced  to 
act  to  save  themselves,  and  fulfil  their 
traitorous  obligations  to  Germany. 


6o         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

As  recent  events  have  shown  time  after 
time,  various  Ministers  in  exceptionally  high 
positions  in  the  Russian  Government  were 
forced  by  the  people  to  resign,  and  in  some 
cases  where  even  their  own  employers  could 
not  cover  up  their  dastardly  crimes,  they 
were  executed.  In  many  cases  these  Ministers 
were  of  German  origin  and  Germany's  paid 
agents.  Finally,  after  the  fall  of  Stiirmer, 
Protropopoff  was  appointed  to  take  charge 
of  affairs  and  it  was  openly  said  bring 
about  another  revolt  of  the  people.  This  the 
Government  would  then  classify  as  an  un- 
governable Revolution,  and  use  as  an  excuse 
to  sign  a  separate  peace  with  Germany  and 
thus  render  Russia  as  a  nation  despicable  in 
the  eyes  of  the  world  for  generations  to  come. 
When  the  time  arrived  for  Germany  to  turn 
and  rend  Russia,  there  would  be  none  to  help 
her,  and  so  Germany  would  progress  a  step 
further  in  her  scheme  of  world  domination. 

Many  months  ago,  towards  the  latter  part 
of  1916,  the  Government  commenced  this 
dastardly  organisation  for  the  formation 
of  the  revolt  which  was  to  permit  them  to 
fulfil  their  traitorous  aims,  but  like  aU  evil 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     6i 

organisations  where  the  principals  are  over- 
confident of  themselves,  it  was  started  too 
late.  The  first  step  Protropopoff  took  was 
to  reorganise  the  police  and  draft  large  bodies 
of  them  into  Petrograd  to  swell  the  ranks  of 
those  already  there. 

It  was  next  arranged  for  special  instruction 
to  be  given  to  a  large  number  of  the  force 
in  the  use  of  machine-guns.  While  such 
instruction  was  in  progress  there  were 
commandeered  some  1200  modern  machine- 
guns,  together  with  an  enormous  supply  of 
ammunition,  which  were  urgently  needed  by 
the  troops  at  the  front.  These  guns  were 
placed  upon  the  roofs  of  churches  and  large 
buildings  throughout  the  city.  They  were 
placed  in  position  during  the  latter  part  of 
December,  1916,  and  in  January,  1917. 
Although  this  was  done  secretly,  the  general 
public  became  aware  that  certain  guns  had 
been  placed  on  roofs  and  enquired  the  reason. 
It  was  officially  given  out  that  they  were 
placed  there  as  anti-aircraft  guns  to  repel  any 
possible  attack  by  the  supposed  new  long- 
distance Zeppelins  of  the  Germans.  This 
excuse    satisfied    the    public,    but    not    the 


62         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Revolutionary  Party  who,  through  its  secret 
agents,  was  perfectly  aware  of  the  real 
purpose  of  those  who  had  so  placed  the 
machine-guns  in  position. 

The  leaders  determined  to  increase  their 
efforts  to  mature  their  plans  so  as  to  be  in  a 
position  to  counter  any  drastic  movement  of 
the  Government.  Events,  however,  contrary 
to  the  expectations  of  the  Government, 
followed  one  another  with  great  rapidity, 
causing  them  to  hasten  their  arrangements. 
During  the  second  half  of  February  all  the 
machine-guns  were  supplied  with  ammuni- 
tion. Enormous  supplies  of  rifles,  revolvers 
and  ammunition  which  should  have  been, 
and  in  fact  were  recorded  as  having  been 
sent  to  the  troops  at  the  front,  were 
detained  and  stored  in  the  various  police 
stations,  together  with  reserve  machine-guns. 
A  number  of  shops,  which  had  been  closed 
some  months  previously  on  some  concocted 
excuse,  had  their  windows  barred  and  within 
were  stored  large  reserves  of  small  arms. 

Now  that  Petrograd's  police  were  well 
trained,  and  the  Government  had  practically 
completed  the  necessary  measures  for  nego- 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     63 

tiating  secretly  and  finally  with  Germany,  it 
only  remained  for  the  Ministers  to  organise 
the  slaughter  under  the  excuse  of  the  word 
Revolution.  To  do  this  it  was  necessary  to 
force  a  revolt,  or  spread  discontent  among 
the  working-classes  throughout  the  city  and 
its  surroundings.  In  order  not  to  arouse 
direct  and  obvious  suspicion  the  Government 
had  for  many  months  been  secretly  holding 
up  supplies  of  food-stuffs  to  the  capital,  or 
when  such  food-stuffs  actually  arrived  they 
were  distributed  in  such  a  way  that  the 
police  were  soon  able  to  comer  them  and 
have  them  stored  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
people. 

To  prevent  the  supplies  reaching  Petrograd 
every  possible  obstacle  was  put  in  the  way  of 
the  railway  officials.  Traffic  was  blocked 
wherever  possible,  goods  were  side-tracked  or 
sent  to  the  wrong  destination,  and  in  many 
cases  trucks  of  munitions,  which  should  have 
been  sent  to  the  front,  were  sent  to  Petrograd, 
and  unnecessary  food-stuffs  sent  to  the  front 
instead.  When  possible  these  food-stuffs 
were  sent  out  to  some  destination  in  the  Ural 
Mountains  where  food  was  plentiful. 


64         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

As  the  shortage  of  provisions  gradually 
became  more  acute,  the  people  demanded 
to  know  the  reason.  Time  after  time  they 
were  given  the  same  excuse.  Owing  to  the 
inadequate  number  of  trucks  at  the  Govern- 
ment's disposal  there  were  none  to  spare  for 
food  for  the  people.  Every  single  truck  was 
being  used  for  the  transport  of  the  much- 
needed  munitions  to  their  comrades  at  the 
fronts.  This  was  not  true.  Certainly  in  the 
large  railway  yards  round  Petrograd,  and 
also  at  large  stations  and  junctions  through- 
out the  country,  there  were  no  free  trucks 
to  be  seen,  nevertheless  at  every  small  siding 
right  through  the  Siberian  lines  there  were 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  empty  trucks 
simply  side-tracked  out  of  the  way.  The 
vast  distances  prevented  the  people  knowing 
this,  although  those  who  travelled  through 
Siberia  could  tell  of  trucks  to  be  seen  blocking 
every  siding.* 

Locomotives  were  also  sent  back  to  the 
workshops  in  large  numbers  under  the  pre- 
text   that    urgent    repairs    were    necessary, 

*  About  two  weeks  prior  to  the  Revolution  I  myself  saw 
thousands  of  such  empty  trucks  between  Petrograd  and  the 
Ural  Mountains. 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     65 

which  were  entirely  imaginary.  Thus  not 
only  were  food-stuffs  for  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city  held  up  in  this  way,  but  munitions 
that  should  have  been  sent  to  the  various 
fronts  were  also  held  up  by  this  self-same 
excuse  of  no  trucks.  Such  were  the  men 
into  whose  hands  had  been  placed  the  des- 
tinies of  a  great  nation.  It  should  be  noted, 
however,  that  if  a  private  person  required  a 
truck  to  send  goods  from  one  point  to  another, 
one  was  always  available,  provided  the  bribe 
were  large  enough.  This  is  not  an  exaggera- 
tion but  an  actual  fact,  and  it  was  a  common 
sight  to  see  a  goods  train  with  only  a  few 
trucks  of  actual  munitions,  the  remaining 
trucks  being  full  of  goods  of  no  vital  import- 
ance to  the  conduct  of  the  war. 

As  time  went  on  the  bribes  for  such  trucks 
increased.  The  Government  officials  did  not 
openly  negotiate  such  matters,  but  always 
arranged  them  through  one  of  their  agents 
or  one  of  the  numerous  tribe  of  despicable 
beings  who  are  always  willing  to  sell  their 
best  friends  for  money.  People  who  were 
known  to  require  goods  transported  from 
one  point  to  another  were  continually  being 


66         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

approached  by  such  go-betweens.  This  was 
done  in  a  quiet  way  with  the  remark  that 
"  If  you  want  trucks  we  could  arrange  to 
supply  them  at  a  price."  Of  this  general 
situation  the  workpeople  were  ignorant,  as 
they  believed  that  the  excuses  put  forward 
by  the  Government  were  legitimate,  and  that 
their  hardships  were  due  to  the  fact  that  their 
comrades  at  the  fronts  were  being  supplied 
with  the  necessary  munitions. 

One  point  to  illustrate  the  organised  dis- 
organisation of  the  railways  is  shown  by  the 
following  incident.  A  firm  that  was  building 
large  and  very  important  explosive  works 
for  the  Government  in  the  Ural  Mountains 
was  urgently  in  need  of  a  number  of  trucks 
of  roofing  material  for  the  buildings,  as  the 
absence  of  this  material  was  delaying  the 
whole  of  the  work.  In  due  course  the  railway 
authorities  announced  that  the  trucks  had 
arrived  and  instructed  the  consignees  to  take 
possession  of  their  goods.  Upon  examination, 
however,  the  trucks  were  found  to  contain 
rice.  An  investigation  showed  that  this  rice 
should  have  been  sent  to  the  troops  for 
food,  but  instead  the  roofing  material  ha^ 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     67 

gone  to  the  front  and  the  rice  to  the  Ural 
Mountains  ! 

Another  case  was  where  a  large  works  in 
the  Ural  Mountains  had  an  enormous  amount 
of  copper,  which  was  most  urgently  needed 
by  the  Munition  Works  at  Petrograd,  lying 
in  their  3^ards  for  many  months.  No  trucks 
were  apparently  available  for  its  transport, 
and  thus  the  Munition  Works  were  seriously 
handicapped  in  the  output  of  munitions. 
Such  instances  as  the  above  were  by  no 
means  isolated  cases  but  the  general  practice. 
Even  finished  munitions  received  from  the 
Allies  were  allowed  to  be  side-tracked  or 
discharged  at  wrong  destinations,  and  when 
discharged  were  simply  allowed  to  rot  on 
the  ground,  the  excuse  always  being  put 
forward  that  there  were  no  trucks  to  remove 
them.  Even  big  guns  were  treated  in  this 
way ;  in  fact  any  despicable  action  that  could 
possibly  delay  or  injure  the  fighting  strength 
of  the  armies  was  carried  into  effect. 

A  system  such  as  this  soon  reduced  the 
necessaries  of  life  in  the  city  to  an  absolute 
minimum,  and  consequently  food  rose  to 
exorbitant  prices^  and  the  real  essentials  were 


68         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

almost  unobtainable.  On  the  pretext  of 
working  in  the  interests  of  the  people,  the 
Government  closed  down  numerous  bakeries 
and  opened  what  they  termed  Government 
Bakeries,  where  people  with  tickets  could 
obtain  a  small  dole  of  the  necessary  black 
bread.  Luxuries  and  other  unnecessary  com- 
modities were  in  abundance,  but  at  prices  far 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  average  workman. 

To  obtain  the  miserable  dole  of  bread  from 
one  of  these  Government  shops  it  was  neces- 
sary to  stand  in  a  long  queue  and  wait  your 
turn.  Some  of  these  queues  were  often  over 
a  mile  in  length  with  people  waiting  four 
deep.  This  does  not  sound  so  terrible  a 
hardship  until  one  learns  that  the  tempera- 
ture would  sometimes  be  70°  to  80°  F.  below 
freezing  point  with  a  cutting  wind  blowing. 
At  the  end  of  many  hours'  tedious  waiting 
hundreds  were  turned  away  with  the  excuse 
that  all  the  bread  was  sold,  and  poor  women 
had  to  return  numbed  with  cold  to  their 
starving  children,  for  it  was  upon  the  women, 
that  this  terrible  task  fell  as  the  men  were 
employed  in  the  Munition  Works. 

These  people  with  their  usual  patience,  and 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     69 

thinking  of  their  relatives  at  the  fronts 
fighting  for  their  homes,  were  content  to 
suffer  such  hardships,  terrible  as  they  were, 
rather  than  seem  ungrateful  to  the  soldiers 
by  complaining.  Nevertheless  the  human 
system  could  not  stand  the  strain,  and  it  was 
a  common  thing  to  hear  the  women  say,  "  We 
have  given  our  fathers,  our  husbands  and 
our  brothers,  we  are  willing  to  give  ourselves, 
but  we  must  have  bread  for  our  children." 

It  will  give  an  idea  of  the  shortage  of  food 
in  Petrograd  when  I  say  that  I,  who  was  in  a 
position  to  pay  far  more  than  the  average 
workman,  found  it  almost  impossible  to 
obtain  a  good  meal.  For  the  exorbitant  price 
of  a  guinea  I  could  get  a  lunch,  exclusive  of 
wines,  as  such  were  almost  unobtainable 
owing  to  the  prohibition  law,  still  they  could 
be  secured  if  one  wished  to  waste  money. 
Champagne  was  being  sold  privately  at  ap- 
proximately £6  I  OS.  a  bottle,  while  whisky 
was  obtainable,  also  privately,  at  ;f7  los.  a 
bottle. 

Some  weeks  before  the  Revolution,  business 
called  me  to  the  Ural  Mountains,  and  upon 
my  return  I  took  the  precaution  of  bringing 


70         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

with  me  a  good  supply  of  general  food-stuffs. 
In  the  Ural  Mountains  food  was  very  plentiful 
and  could  be  obtained  at  almost  pre-war 
prices,  transport  being  the  only  difficulty  to 
be  overcome.  This  I  managed  by  taking 
with  me  several  old  trunks  and  kit  bags. 
When  I  returned  to  Petrograd  many  of  my 
friends  were  keenly  interested  in  my  supplies, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  they  were  sadly 
depleted,  in  fact,  so  much  so  that  during  the 
Five  Days  of  the  troubles  in  the  city  my 
colleague  and  myself  had  very  little  else  to 
eat  beyond  stale  black  bread  supplemented 
by  glasses  of  hot  beef  extract,  packets  of 
which  I  had  taken  with  me  to  Russia.  On 
the  Fifth  Day  this  bread  was  so  stale  that  it 
had  to  be  broken  with  the  aid  of  a  hammer 
and  then  soaked  in  the  beef  extract. 

As  an  instance  of  the  irony  of  fate,  Austrian 
and  German  prisoners,  of  which  there  are  a 
large  number  employed  in  the  Ural  Moun- 
tains, were  given  the  best  of  food,  having 
an  unlimited  supply  of  meat,  butter,  white 
bread,  and  sugar,  while  the  Russians  them- 
selves at  Petrograd  were  starving. 

Although    Petrograd   and   other    principal 


THE  STARVING  OF  PETROGRAD     71 

cities  and  towns  throughout  Russia  were  so 
short  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  in  the  pro- 
vinces, and  more  especially  in  Siberia,  enor- 
mous stocks  of  provisions  were  available, 
only  awaiting  transport.  In  one  instance 
many  tons  of  the  best  cream  butter,  which 
was  retailing  in  Petrograd  at  between  seven 
and  eight  shillings  the  pound,  were  sent  to  a 
soap  works  to  be  made  into  soap.  For  this 
transport  trucks  were  available,  and  yet  such 
trucks  were  not  permitted  to  take  the  butter 
to  Petrograd. 

At  one  point  on  the  Siberian  Railway  a 
block  occurred,  holding  up  thousands  of 
tons  of  meat,  which  was  held  up  until  it 
became  rotten.  Then  the  Government  at 
once  granted  trucks  for  its  transport,  when 
it  was  too  late  and  the  meat  had  to  be 
destroyed.  Another  method  employed  by 
the  Government  of  arousing  dissatisfaction 
amongst  the  people  was  to  remove  the  special 
tariff  of  fixed  prices  of  food-stuffs.  This  per- 
mitted their  agents  and  other  inhuman 
profiteers  to  raise  the  prices  of  necessaries 
to  an  alarming  extent.  These  profiteers 
found   that   it    was   to   their   advantage   to 


72         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 
supply  a  smaller  quantity  of  food  at  a  higher 
price,  rather  than  take  the  trouble  of  bring- 
ing in  larger  quantities  to  retail  at  the  prices 
within  the  reach  of  the  inhabitants. 

Although  it  was  generally  understood  in 
this  country  that  the  people  of  Petrograd 
and  other  cities  of  Russia  were  plentifully 
supplied  with  food,  conditions  reached  such 
a  pass  that  not  only  was  the  much-needed 
black  bread  unobtainable,  but  practically 
every  other  necessary  of  life.  These  terrible 
trials  became  more  and  more  difficult  to  bear 
until  finally  the  people  were  compelled  to 
complain.  This  wail  of  complaint  was  the 
great  sound  the  Government  was  waiting  for, 
and  directly  it  started  they  immediately 
employed  their  army  of  paid  agitators  to  iej;- 
ment  the  feeling  of  discontent,  their  object  in 
this  being  gradually  to  increase  this  feeling 
among  the  people  until  they  decided  to 
strike  and  leave  their  work  to  form  proces- 
sions in  the  streets. 


C     M 


O    r 


O  K 


a   rt 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   ROUSING   OF  THE   GIANT 

PROCESSIONS  were  necessary  to  the 
Government's  scheme,  not  only  pro- 
cessions but  processions  capable  of 
acts  of  violence  that  should  to  some  extent 
justify  the  murderous  j^lans  of  the  police. 
To  achieve  this  the  police  agents  mixed  with 
the  crowds,  as  they  had  done  many  times 
before,  inciting  the  peaceable  citizens  to  acts 
that  would  cause  the  police  and  soldiers  to 
lire  upon  them.  Such  an  act  of  aggression 
would  be  resented  by  the  people,  who  would 
in  their  turn  quite  naturally  commit  further 
acts  of  violence.  Then  when  these  large  pro- 
cessions were  formed,  the  machine-guns  would 
open  on  the  people  from  the  roofs  of  the  houses 
and  churches  and  mow  them  down  in  thou- 
sands. 

Such  action  would  naturally  infuriate  the 

73 


74         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

peoples  of  other  cities  and  townships  and  a 
general  slaughter  would  take  place  all  over 
the  Empire.  This  slaughter  would  be  carried 
to  the  most  extreme  limits,  and  its  influence 
would  naturally  reach  the  soldiers  on  the 
various  fronts,  who  would  themselves  be  in- 
duced to  revolt  and  thus  pave  the  way  for 
an  easy  defeat  by  their  enemies.  The  Govern- 
ment would  then  classify  the  outbreak  as  an 
ungovernable  revolution,  and  so  put  forward 
the  excuse  that  the  only  way  to  save  Russia 
would  be  a  separate  peace  with  Germany. 
Such  a  peace  would  be  signed,  and  the  people 
of  Russia  would  from  that  time  be  not  only 
despicable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  but  would 
become  nothing  more  than  serfs  or  slaves  of 
the  Germans. 

Besides  delaying  the  formation  of  their 
plans  too  long,  the  Government  had  not 
given  sufficient  consideration  to  the  growing 
strength  of  the  Revolutionary  Party,  which 
had  already  won  over  a  number  of  regiments 
to  its  side,  a  circumstance  that  was  kept  a 
profound  secret. 

The  Russian  Army  is  recruited  from  all 
stations  of  life,  and  the  soldiers  are  without 


THE   ROUSING   OF  THE   GIANT    73 

doubt  of  the  finest  fighting  material.  They 
are  by  nature  most  patient,  and  lend  them- 
selves easily  to  be  moulded  into  first-class 
fighting  men  by  their  officers.  They  are  fear- 
less fighters  and  will  hold  on  to  the  last  man 
rather  than  disobey  orders.  The  officers  of 
the  Army,  however,  are  invariably  taken  from 
the  better  classes  and  aristocrac}^  and  as  a 
rule  take  no  pains  to  hide  their  contempt  for 
the  lower  classes,  from  which  the  great  major- 
ity of  the  rank  and  file  are  recruited.  For 
generations  they  have  enforced  their  orders 
with  the  utmost  rigour  and  treated  the 
soldiers  with  harshness  and  brutality.  Of 
course  there  were  exceptions,  but  this  was 
the  general  rule. 

Quite  naturally  the  soldiers,  although 
patient,  could  not  help  feeling  a  certain  ani- 
mosity towards  their  officers,  many  of  whom 
never  realised  that  their  lives  would  pay  the 
forfeit  when  the  soldiers  once  got  the  upper 
hand.  As  is  well  known  by  the  history  of  the 
present  war,  many  of  the  Russian  generals 
were  nothing  more  than  paid  agents  of  the 
Germans  and,  working  on  the  dog-like  obedi- 
ence of  the  soldiers,  were  easily  able  to  sell 


76         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

them  and  thus  sacrifice  thousands  of  innocent 
and  patriotic  beings  to  fulfil  their  obligations 
to  their  masters.  In  the  early  stages  of  the 
war  many  of  the  retreats  and  defeats  of  the 
Russian  armies  were  due  to  such  creatures 
furthering  their  own  interests.  Gradually 
these  traitors  were  weeded  out  and  replaced 
by  men  of  unquestioned  loyalty  and  pat- 
riotism. 

Of  all  the  generals  in  high  command  during 
the  early  stage  of  the  war,  perhaps  Nikolai 
Nikolaiovitch,  or  better  known  as  the  Grand 
Duke  Nicholas,  was  probably  the  greatest 
favourite  of  the  soldiers  and  of  the  people  as 
a  whole.  He  has  always  shown  the  greatest 
love  for  the  Russian  soldier,  and  at  the  same 
time  contempt  for  the  Germans,  who  were 
never  able  to  influence  him  against  his  better 
and  patriotic  feelings.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
his  removal  from  supreme  command  was  due 
to  the  success  of  the  German  intrigues  at 
Court,  for  although  he  is  reported  as  not 
being  a  brilliantly  clever  man,  he  has  the 
reputation,  and  rightly  so,  of  being  excep- 
tionally strong  and  just,  and  no  matter  was 
too  small  to  receive  his  personal  attention. 


THE  ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT    Tj 

On  many  occasions  he  went  deliberately  out 
of  his  way  to  show  his  contempt  for  the 
Court  and  its  intrigues  as  a  whole.  It  was 
through  him  that  during  one  stage  of  the 
fighting  a  number  of  very  high  officials,  one 
even  being  the  head  of  the  entire  Russian 
Secret  Service  Police,  were  tried  by  court- 
martial  and  summarily  executed. 

Towards  the  end  of  February  there  were 
very  persistent  rumours  that  the  people  had 
reached  the  limit  of  their  endurance,  and 
that  they  were  contemplating  a  peaceful 
strike  with  a  view  to  bringing  to  the  notice  of 
the  Government  their  deplorable  state.  These 
rumours  grew,  and  on  March  6th  (February 
2ist)  they  became  still  more  persistent,  and 
in  fact  a  few  of  the  workers  from  a  number  of 
the  larger  Munition  Works  came  out  on  strike 
and  formed  small  processions,  which  were 
quite  peaceful  and  not  yet  sufiiciently  large 
to  suit  the  official  purpose.  It  was  there- 
fore arranged  for  the  agitators  to  foment 
these  small  strikes. 

There  were  in  Petrograd  stores  of  vodka, 
it  being  used  for  various  munition  purposes. 
These  stores  were  all  guarded,  but  with  dia- 


yS         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

bolical  intent  the  Government  arranged  that 
the  guards  should  be  removed.  This  would 
permit  of  the  people,  when  worked  up  to  a 
frenzy  by  the  paid  agitators,  being  easily 
induced  to  break  into  these  stores  and  thus  fill 
the  streets  with  drunken  and  uncontrollable 
mobs  and  so  still  further  increase  the  Govern- 
ment's chance  of  success. 

On  March  7th  (February  22nd)  a  larger 
number  of  munition  workers  were  on  strike 
and  others  were  joining  every  hour.  In  some 
cases  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town  reports 
came  in  that  there  had  been  slight  friction 
between  parties  of  workmen  and  the  police. 
At  this  time  it  was  noticed  that  there  was  an 
exceptionally  large  number  of  police  all  over 
the  city  dressed  in  their  usual  uniforms,  and 
that  patrols  of  mounted  police  were  stationed 
in  the  main  thoroughfares. 

The  people,  who  had  been  as  far  as  possible 
secretly  informed  by  the  Revolutionary  Party 
that  the  strikes  were  being  organised  by  the 
Government,  could  hardly  realise  that  the 
Government  would  ever  descend  to  such 
diabolical  practices  at  such  a  time  of  the 
country's  distress  and  in  view  of  its  obliga- 


THE   ROUSING  OF   THE  GIANT    79 

tions  to  the  Allies.  The  people  themselves 
wished  only  to  form  peaceful  processions  with 
a  view  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  authori- 
ties to  their  starving  condition.  It  never 
entered  their  minds  that,  as  previously  stated, 
the  authorities  were  deliberately  holding  up 
food-stuffs  and  not  dispatching  them  even  to 
their  comrades  at  the  fronts. 

During  these  few  days  the  necessary  food 
of  the  people  was  practically  unobtainable, 
and  the  queues  outside  the  Government 
shops  were  greatly  increased.  Mixing  with 
these  queues  were  women,  paid  servants  of 
the  Government,  doing  their  best  to  foster 
the  bitter  feelings  of  those  waiting  for  their 
dole  of  bread.  It  was  noticed  that  during 
these  days  greater  numbers  of  people  were 
turned  away  without  their  supplies,  always 
with  the  excuse  that  the  shops  had  no 
more. 

Up  to  this  time  only  the  larger  Munition 
Works  were  on  strike,  and  a  very  few  of  the 
industrial  works  and  mills.  On  March  8th 
(February  23rd),  however,  practically  all  the 
industrial  workers  and  mill-hands  came  out 
on  strike,  and  the  workmen,  together  \vith 


8o         RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

their  women  and  children,  formed  into  large 
processions  and  marched  peaceably  through 
the  various  main  thoroughfares  crying,  "  Give 
us  bread ;  we  are  starving  and  we  must  have 
bread."  Again  reports  came  through  that 
friction  had  occurred  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city  between  the  workpeople  and  the  police, 
but  it  was  quite  apparent  that  the  ringleaders 
of  the  processions  were  the  usual  paid 
agitators  and  that  they  were  exceptionally 
well  organised. 

These  processions  were  formed  almost  en- 
tirely of  the  working -classes.  The  general 
atmosphere,  however,  was  none  too  pleasant, 
and  the  feeling  throughout  the  city  was  that 
trouble  was  to  be  expected. 

On  March  9th  (February  24th)  all  Muni- 
tion Works  and  mills  without  exception  were 
on  strike,  and  numerous  processions  were 
formed  throughout  the  city  and,  as  is  cus- 
tomary with  demonstrations,  all  marched 
towards  the  main  thoroughfare,  the  magni- 
ficent Nevsky  Prospect.  The  ranks  of  the 
workpeople  and  their  wives  and  children  were 
now  swelled  by  the  wives  of  the  soldiers  at 
the   fronts,   and   in   addition   to   these   the 


THE   ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT    8i 

students  and  quite  a  large  number  of  the 
better- class  people  also  joined.  Although 
generally  good-tempered  they  became  in 
some  cases  rather  boisterous.  It  was  quite 
apparent,  however,  to  persons  accustomed 
to  seeing  such  crowds  that  they  were  headed 
by  well-organised  leaders,  and  that  these 
leaders  were  keen  on  arousing  the  people  to 
acts  of  violence,  but  at  first  without  success. 
When  such  acts  were  attempted  by  these 
agitators  themselves,  the  people  did  their 
best  to  prevent  them,  shouting,  *'  We  are 
perfectly  peaceful,  we  only  want  bread." 

To  fulfil  their  obligations  to  their  masters, 
these  agitators  were  compelled  to  take  action, 
their  first  step  being  to  stop  all  tramcars  by 
removing  the  controller-handles,  tying  down 
the  collector-bows,  and  in  some  cases  actu- 
ally derailing  the  cars.  This  caused  consider- 
able inconvenience  to  people  going  about 
their  usual  business,  and  resulted  in  the 
swelling  of  the  ranks  of  the  mobs  by  the  people 
being  forced  to  go  about  on  foot,  giving  the 
impression  that  the  crowds  were  greater  than 
they  really  were.  The  stopping  of  the  trams 
was  sufficient  in  itself  to  indicate  that  serious 

G 


82  RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

trouble  was  premeditated  by  the  police,  and 
it  was  soon  the  cause  of  eliminating  all 
vehicular  traffic  in  the  streets, 

On^  very  significant  fact  noted  on  this  day 
was  that  very  few  police  were  to  be  seen,  but 
that  the  number  of  soldiers  in  the  streets  had 
increased  alarmingly.  This  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  a  large  number  of  the  police  had 
been  already  stationed  on  the  roofs  of  the 
churches  or  buildings  at  their  posts  by  the 
machine-guns,  and  that  a  further  large  body 
of  them  had  been  dressed  as  soldiers.  This 
was  as  obvious  as  it  would  be  if  our  London 
police  were  taken  from  their  beats  and  put 
into  soldiers'  uniform,  for  although  the  Russian 
police  are  a  well-drilled  body  of  men,  yet  it 
is  not  difficult  to  recognise  a  policemen  by  his 
bearing.  It  was  also  noticed  that  large  patrols 
of  Cossacks  on  their  wiry  little  ponies  were 
everywhere,  and  that  both  Cossacks  and 
soldiers  (soldier-policemen)  were  fully  armed, 
all  carrying  ball  cartridge. 

The  crowds,  however,  were  not  to  be 
drawn  into  acts  of  violence,  but  maintained 
their  peaceful  attitude  throughout  the  day. 
Towards    the    afternoon    a    large   concourse 


THE   ROUSING   OF   THE   GIANT    83 

gathered  in  front  of  the  Nikolai  Station,  the 
principal  station  of  the  Moscow  line,  and  also 
at  various  points  in  the  Nevsky  Prospect. 

While  these  meetings  were  in  progress, 
large  bodies  of  Cossacks  were  called  to  assist 
in  breaking  up  the  processions.  The  Cossack 
is  usually  delighted  to  undertake  such  work 
and  has  always  found  great  pleasure  in  charg- 
ing through  unarmed  crowds,  especially  when 
they  have  been  permitted  to  use  their  najika, 
or  whips.  In  the  use  of  the  whip  they  are 
past -masters  and  can  easily  cut  through  a 
person's  clothing  and  inflict  a  severe  wound. 
It  was  noticed  on  this  occasion,  however, 
that  the  Cossacks  seemed  in  a  good  humour 
and  were  smiling,  an  unusual  thing  for  a 
Cossack  on  duty.  Usually  their  faces  wear  a 
serious  and  set  expression.  Their  instructions 
were  to  round  up  the  crowds  and  endeavour, 
if  possible,  to  break  up  their  formation.  The 
people,  however,  remained  in  a  good  humour 
and  took  very  little  notice  of  the  Cossacks. 

Later  in  the  day  when  the  crowd  became 
more  dense,  the  Cossacks  were  ordered  to 
break  them  up  by  charging  through  them. 
It  was  an  exciting  sight  to  see  these  horsemen 


84         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

continually  charging  at  full  gallop  through 
and  through  the  crowds,  but  by  their  wonder- 
ful skill  in  horsemanship  they  managed  to 
avoid  injuring  the  people.  In  the  few  cases 
where  injuries  were  inflicted  it  was  purely 
accidental.  In  these  charges  the  Cossacks 
retained  their  good  humour,  and  instead  of 
using  their  whips  simply  brandished  them  in 
the  air.  The  people  on  their  side  cheered 
the  Cossacks,  a  thing  without  precedent, 
which  proved  that  there  was  some  under- 
standing between  them. 

During  the  whole  of  the  day  the  paid 
police  agitators  had  been  striving  their  utmost 
to  induce  the  crowds  to  acts  of  violence,  but 
without  success.  When  such  acts  were  com- 
mitted, actually  by  the  agitators  themselves, 
they  were  severely  dealt  with  by  the  crowd, 
who  still  continued  with  their  cry  "  We  want 
bread."  They  also  cheered  and  sang  patriotic 
songs  continually. 

Hitherto  the  stage  management  of  the 
Authorities  in  dealing  with  revolts,  or  semi- 
pacific  processions,  had  amounted  almost  to 
inspiration.  Just  as  the  London  policemen 
understand  the  psychological  aspect  of  huge 


THE   ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT    85 

masses  of  people  and  how  to  govern  them,  so 
the  Russian  poHcemen  and  Cossacks  under- 
stand the  physical  aspect  of  mobs  and  how 
to  reduce  them  to  obedience. 

I  call  to  mind  an  incident  that  occurred 
during  the  Tolstoy  Student  Riots.  In  the 
Nevsky  Prospect  in  front  of  the  Alexandrinski 
Theatre  is  a  large  square  the  centre  of  which  is 
enclosed  by  railings.  The  police  saw  their 
opportunity,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  Cossacks 
herded  the  enormous  crowd  into  this  square. 
Pressing  upon  the  outskirts  were  Cossacks 
on  their  wonderful  ponies.  The  strain  be- 
came unbearable  and  the  crowd  began  to 
climb  the  railings.  Soon  the  whole  place  was 
a  dense  mass  of  people.  The  Cossacks  and 
police  then  surrounded  them  and  proceeded 
to  detach  small  groups  at  a  time,  which  they 
instructed  as  to  the  direction  that  they  were 
to  take.  In  a  short  while  the  crowd  was 
whittled  away  to  nothing.  It  was  a  remark- 
able piece  of  work. 

The  Cossack's  weapon  for  mobs  is  his  najika, 
or  whip,  which  consists  of  a  stock  about 
fifteen  inches  in  length  and  a  leathern  thong 
of  about  twenty  inches,  at  the  end  of  which 


86         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

are  two  small  pieces  of  leather  about  an  inch 
in  diameter,  and  between  them  is  attached  a 
piece  of  lead.  It  is  this  that  does  the  damage. 
In  peace  or  war  you  will  never  see  a  mounted 
Cossack  without  the  inevitable  najika  dangling 
by  a  leather  loop  from  his  right  wrist. 

The  dexterity  with  which  he  handles  this 
weapon  is  amazing.  He  can  brush  a  fly  from 
your  face  without  your  feeling  it,  or  he  could 
maim  you  for  life. 

It  was  during  these  same  Tolstoy  Student 
Riots  that  I  saw  at  close  quarters  the  terrible 
effects  of  this  najika.  Three  Cossacks  were 
riding  abreast  along  the  pavement  at  full  tilt. 
I  endeavoured  to  eliminate  myself  against  a 
wall,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  I  did  so,  for  just 
in  front  of  me  stood  a  student  who  received  a 
cut  from  the  najika  of  the  nearest  Cossack. 
It  caught  him  upon  the  shoulder,  and  in  an 
instant  his  coat  was  cut  through  and  soon  the 
whole  of  that  side  was  saturated  with  blood 
from  the  deep  wound  the  najika  had  in- 
flicted. 

The  second  Cossack's  najika  caught  the 
face  of  a  woman  standing  next  to  the  student 
and  gashed  it  open  to  the  bone.    The  wound 


N. 


THE   ROUSING  OF  THE   GIANT    87 

reached  from  eye  to  chin  as  if  it  had  been  cut 
with  a  butcher's  knife.  It  was  a  sickening 
sight. 

To  throw  yourself  upon  the  ground  is  of  no 
avail.  The  Cossack's  dexterity  in  the  saddle 
is  almost  uncanny.  I  have  seen  a  couple  of 
them  pick  up  a  man  from  a  prone  position 
and  carry  him  off  between  them  whilst  riding 
at  full  gallop. 

The  ancient  Mexicans  when  first  they  saw 
a  Spanish  horseman  conceived  that  he  was  a 
new  sort  of  being,  and  could  not  be  convinced 
that  man  and  horse  were  separate  until  they 
saw  the  man  dismount.  If  ever  there  were  a 
centaur  it  is  the  Cossack.  When  on  duty  he 
never,  under  any  circumstances,  leaves  his 
horse.  The  beast  may  fall,  may  even  roll 
completely  over  ;  but  while  he  is  doing  this 
the  Cossack  will  stand  astride  and  when  he 
rises  he  will  be  firmly  fixed  in  the  saddle. 

One  more  incident  to  illustrate  the  Cossack's 
horsemanship.  On  one  occasion  I  saw  a  troop 
of  Cossacks  galloping  at  full  speed  in  their 
customary  irregular  order  down  the  Nevsky. 
Suddenly  they  wheeled  to  the  left,  when  a 
horse  of  one  of  the  Cossacks  in  the  very  centre 


88         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

of  the  troop  slipped  on  a  tram  line.  I  saw  the 
Cossack  shot  over  the  beast's  head  like  a 
stone  from  a  catapult.  "  A  dead  man  for 
certain,"  was  my  mental  comment.  The  next 
second  the  horse  had  regained  its  footing  and 
there  was  the  Cossack  sitting  in  the  saddle  as 
if  nothing  had  happened.  How  he  had  got 
there  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea.  He  cer- 
tainly went  over  the  horse's  head.  The 
strangest  thing  of  all  perhaps  is  that  the  troop 
never  for  a  moment  paused  in  its  headlong 
career. 

The  value  of  such  horsemen  in  dealing  with 
crowds  is  obvious,  and  probably  the  greatest 
shock  of  those  who  had  instigated  the  revolt, 
which  ended  in  Revolution,  was  the  defection 
of  the  Cossacks.  Had  they  remained  loyal  to 
the  Government  the  Revolution  could  never 
have  taken  place,  for  during  the  first  two 
days,  when  the  mob  had  got  out  of  hand,  a 
few  regiments  of  Cossacks  could  have  cleared 
the  streets  sufficiently  to  allow  the  police  to 
restore  order.  Numbers  never  matter  to  the 
Cossack.  He  has  the  heart  of  a  lion,  and  if  a 
single  man  were  ordered  to  clear  a  street 
where  thousands  of  people  were  collected,  he 


THE   ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT    89 

would  set   to   work   and   in   all   probability 
achieve  his  object. 

At  one  time  I  came  a  great  deal  in  contact 
with  Cossacks,  and  splendid  fellows  I  found 
them,  good-natured,  cheery,  and  great  gam- 
blers. During  these  days  I  learned  much  of 
Cossack  lore.  On  one  occasion  I  had  pointed 
out  to  me  a  certain  man  and  was  told  the 
following  story  in  connection  with  him : 

A  Cossack  officer,  hearing  revolutionary 
songs  issuing  from  a  beer-house  during  a  big 
strike,  ordered  a  Cossack  to  clear  the  building. 
The  Cossack  dismounted  and  walked  into 
the  beer-house,  where  he  found  forty  or 
fifty  strikers  in  a  very  ugly  mood.  The 
Cossack  ordered  them  out.  They  began  to 
argue,  and  point-blank  declined  to  go.  The 
Cossack,  unperturbed,  pointed  his  carbine  at 
a  man  and  said,  "  If  you  do  not  go  out  I  shall 
shoot  you."  The  man  retained  his  seat  and 
the  Cossack  shot  him.  With  great  delibera- 
tion the  Cossack  turned  his  carbine  on  the  next 
man  and  said,  "  If  you  do  not  go  out  I  shall 
shoot  you."  The  man  did  not  move  and  he 
also  was  shot.  Before  the  Cossack  had  time 
to  turn  his  weapon  on  the  third  man  there 


90         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

was  a  rush  for  the  door,  for  the  strikers  knew 
that  he  would  have  shot  every  one  of  them, 
provided  he  had  sufficient  ammunition.  Such 
is  the  Cossack. 

These  processions  continued  until  late  and 
in  some  districts  the  whole  night  through. 
On  several  occasions  during  the  day  the 
police  agitators  had  endeavoured  to  induce 
the  mobs  to  break  into  the  vodka  stores,  but 
were  unsuccessful,  owing  to  the  foresight  of 
Mr.  Rodjanko,  the  President  of  the  Duma, 
who,  knowing  that  the  guards  had  been  re- 
moved by  the  orders  of  the  Government,  had 
caused  them  to  be  secretly  guarded  by  armed 
men  dressed  as  civilians.  This  precaution  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Rodjanko,  who  has  always  had 
the  welfare  of  the  nation  at  heart,  was  one  of 
the  principal  causes  of  the  failure  of  the 
devilish  plans  of  the  Government.  The  work- 
people, who  had  thought  that  peaceful  demon- 
strations would  have  some  effect  in  inducing 
the  Government  to  recognise  their  requests, 
were  disappointed  at  the  treatment  which 
they  were  receiving  at  the  hands  of  the 
police.  Consequently  they  decided  that 
their   demonstrations   should    be    more    for- 


THE  ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT  91 
cible,  which  was  exactly  what  the  Govern- 
ment required. 

Several  regiments  of  soldiers  were  impressed 
by  the  processions  of  the  workpeople.  Being 
in  agreement  with  the  Revolutionary  Party, 
they  decided  to  appoint  a  representative  to 
approach  the  officers  of  the  regiments.  This 
representative  endeavoured  to  discuss  with 
the  officers  the  question  of  assisting  the  people, 
but  was  shot  by  their  order.  This  was  the 
first  bloodshed  of  the  Revolution. 

On  March  loth  (February  25th)  the  crowds 
which  had  remained  overnight  in  the  streets 
were  very  early  joined  by  still  larger  crowds, 
and  assumed  a  far  more  serious  aspect.  As 
soon  as  they  formed  into  processions,  they 
were  continually  charged  by  Cossacks  and 
mounted  police  at  full  gallop,  the  latter  using 
the  flat  of  their  drawn  swords.  Unhke  the 
Cossacks,  the  police  when  charging  made  no 
effort  whatsoever  to  avoid  riding  down  the 
people. 

By  the  time  the  usual  hour  had  arrived  for 
business,  the  general  atmosphere  throughout 
the  city  was  extremely  grave,  and  the  entire 
absence  of  vehicular  traffic  caused  consider- 


92         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

able  inconvenience.  It  meant  that  all  business 
people  had  to  walk  to  their  respective  offices 
or  places  of  business.  It  was  noticed  on  this 
day  that  the  police  in  their  usual  uniforms 
were  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  and  that 
still  more  soldiers  were  stationed  in  the  various 
main  thoroughfares,  and  that  on  the  crowns 
of  one  or  two  of  the  bridges  across  the 
numerous  canals  machine-guns  were  stationed. 
These,  however,  did  not  deter  the  crowds 
from  forming  into  processions  with  their  con- 
tinual cry  of  **  We  want  bread." 

Later  in  the  day  a  tremendous  crowd 
collected  in  the  square  outside  the  Nikolai 
Station,  and  endeavoured  to  hold  a  meeting. 
Here  the  Head  Police  Officer  of  that  particular 
district  ordered  them  to  disperse  and  then 
drew  his  revolver,  but  before  he  had  time  to 
use  it  he  was  shot  dead  by  a  Cossack.  This 
was  the  first  real  indication  that  the  Cossacks 
were  in  any  way  inclined  towards  the  people, 
and  the  news  of  such  a  strange  happening 
spread  throughout  the  city  in  an  incredibly 
short  time,  giving  the  people  greater  confi- 
dence. This  was  the  second  act  of  bloodshed 
in  the  Revolution. 


THE   ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT    93 

During  the  afternoon  the  crowds  still  grew 
and  became  more  menacing  and,  in  this  state, 
were  more  easily  influenced  by  the  Government 
agents,  who  began  to  perform  acts  of  violence 
by  smashing  shop-windows  and  shouting 
treasonable  statements  and  generally  hustling 
the  soldiers.  This  was  the  excuse  that  the 
police,  dressed  as  soldiers,  were  waiting  for  to 
further  the  plans  of  the  Government .  Directly 
these  acts  of  violence  were  committed,  the 
soldiers  were  ordered  to  fire  on  the  crowds, 
but  after  several  volleys  had  been  fired  with 
ball  cartridge,  the  crowds  dispersed,  leaving 
a  number  of  dead  and  wounded  in  the 
streets. 

This,  however,  was  not  sufficient  to  quell 
the  ardour  of  the  people,  but  only  infuriated 
them.  As  the  news  that  the  police  had  com- 
menced shooting  into  the  crowds  spread 
throughout  the  city,  the  people  assumed  a 
more  threatening  attitude,  although  they,  to 
a  greater  degree,  maintained  their  good 
humour,  still  hoping  to  attain  their  ends 
peaceably.  This,  however,  was  not  permitted 
by  the  police  agents,  for  it  was  obvious  that 
a  certain  element  in  the  crowd  were  there  for 


94         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

the  sole  purpose  of  creating  a  further  excuse 
for  the  poHce  to  act  violently. 

One  interesting  incident,  to  prove  this, 
happened  in  the  Nevsky  Prospect,  where  a 
man,  apparently  a  workman,  smashed  a  large 
shop  window  and  then  shouted  to  the  crowd 
to  break  others.  He  was  immediately  arrested 
by  some  soldiers  by  the  orders  of  the  police 
officers.  The  soldiers  commenced  to  handle 
him  very  roughly  when  he  produced  a  card, 
showed  it  to  the  officer,  and  was  immediately 
released,  the  card  being  merely  his  proof  that 
he  was  a  police  agent.  In  the  general  excite- 
ment of  the  moment  such  an  act  was  un- 
noticed by  the  crowd,  who  simply  thought  it 
was  an  act  of  kindness  on  the  part  of  the 
pohce  to  releasing  the  man.* 

In  every  district  large  crowds  formed  and 
marched  through  the  city  singing  and  cheer- 
ing and,  considering  the  circumstances,  show- 
ing great  good  humour.  Towards  evening 
several  red  flags  were  seen  amongst  the 
crowds,  obviously  produced  by  the  agitators. 

*  I  turned  lo  a  soldier  sl.indinp  next  to  me  and  asked 
wliy  the  man  had  been  released.  "Agent"  was  his  laconic 
reply. 


THE   ROUSING   OF  THE   GIANT     95 

These  flags  were  immediately  pulled  down  by 
the  people,  who  shouted,  "  We  are  peaceful 
and  don't  want  trouble/'  However,  the  mere 
appearance  of  these  flags  was  sufficient  excuse 
for  the  police  again  to  pour  several  volleys 
into  tlie  crowd.  Such  volleys  were  always 
fired  with  the  intent  to  kill,  and  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  and  those  badly  wounded  were 
left  on  the  streets  to  be  later  picked  up  by 
their  friends. 

Directly  the  trouble  started  the  Govern- 
ment had  issued  orders  to  all  hospitals  and 
doctors  forbidding  them  to  give  any  attention 
whatsoever  to  the  wounded,  this  being  simply 
a  further  item  in  the  programme  to  infuriate 
the  people.  These  processions  and  crowds 
continued  throughout  the  evening,  but  to- 
wards midnight  gradually  thinned,  although 
an  enormous  number  of  people  remained  on 
the  streets  all  night. 

It  was  now  generally  admitted  among  all 
classes  that  the  situation  was  becoming  grave, 
for  it  must  be  understood  that  during  these 
last  few  days  practically  no  food  had  been 
obtainable,  although  in  certain  districts  large 
queues  of  people  still  gathered  outside  the 


96         RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Government  bread-shops  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  a  dole  of  food.  The  better  classes 
were  hoping  that  if  Sunday,  March  nth 
(February  26th),  should  pass  without  blood- 
shed that  things  would  speedily  return  to 
their  normal  state.  This  feeling  was  hardly 
justified  by  the  continuous  reports  which 
came  in  from  the  surrounding  districts.  Con- 
flicts had  taken  place  between  the  work- 
people and  the  police,  the  most  serious  news 
being  that  quite  a  number  of  police  had  been 
killed.  This  in  itself  was  sufficient  to  warrant 
that  matters  were  about  to  take  an  extremely 
grave  turn,  and  that  the  fighting  was  by  no 
means  over. 

Throughout  the  day  Cossacks  had  been 
charging  the  people,  but  they  refrained  from 
using  unnecessary  violence,  and  in  their  turn 
were  cheered  by  the  people.  It  was  this 
attitude  of  the  Cossacks  that  gave  the  crowds 
a  sense  of  security,  and  made  them  instinc- 
tively feel  that  strange  events  were  about  to 
happen.  Throughout  the  nights  of  terror  of 
the  Revolution,  perhaps  the  night  of  March 
loth  (February  25th),  with  its  ominous  fore- 
bodings for  the  morrow,  was  the  most  trying 


THE  ROUSING  OF  THE  GIANT    97 

experienced  by  the  inhabitants  of  Petrograd. 
The  next  day  would  undoubtedly  give  a 
definite  indication  as  to  the  trend  events 
would  take. 


1? 


CHAPTER   V 

RED   MONDAY 

SUNDAY,  March  nth  (February  26th) 
was  the  day  that  was  to  turn  an 
instigated  revolt  into  a  genuine  revo- 
lution. Large  crowds  filled  the  streets  of  the 
city,  and  these  were  soon  greatly  reinforced  by 
people  from  every  outlying  district.  All  pro- 
cessions were  marching  towards  the  Nevsky 
Prospect  and  other  main  thoroughfares,  and 
soon  the  wide  thoroughfare  of  the  Nevsky 
Prospect  was  crowded  from  the  Nikolai 
Station  to  the  Winter  Palace,  broken  only 
by  the  cordons  of  police  across  the  various 
bridges. 

Quite  early  in  the  morning  agitators  were 
busy  endeavouring  to  force  the  crowd  to  act 
violently.  Owing  to  the  people  being  now 
greatly  incensed  by  the  killing  of  the  previous 

day,  and  the  almost  entire  absence  of  food, 

98 


RED   MONDAY  99 

they  lent  themselves  more  easily  to  the 
machinations  of  the  police  agents.  Early 
in  the  day  the  police  again  fired  numerous 
volleys  into  the  crowds,  killing  large  numbers. 
In  one  case  they  opened  fire  with  a  machine- 
gun.  The  Cossacks  were  again  out  in  force, 
but  still  refrained  from  acting  with  inten- 
tional violence,  although,  owing  to  the  denser 
crowds,  numerous  accidents  happened  and 
people  were  ridden  down. 

One  notable  incident  during  a  charge  was 
when  a  Cossack's  horse  fell  amongst  the 
people,  but  the  rider,  with  the  usual  eques- 
trian skill  of  the  Cossacks,  never  left  his 
horse,  and  upon  it  regaining  its  feet  he  was 
heartily  cheered  by  the  people,  although  his 
comrades  had  already  passed  through  the 
crowd.*  These  incidents,  although  small  in 
themselves,  certainly  indicated  that  the 
Cossacks  were  by  no  means  in  favour  of  the 
Government's  drastic  measures,  although  on 
all  previous  occasions  when  they  had  been 
ordered  to  quell  disturbances,  they  had  exe- 
cuted their  commands  in  the  most  ruthless 
and  brutal  manner. 

*  I  was  within  a  few  yards  of  the  spot  where  this  occurred. 


100       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Up  to  this  time  nothing  whatever  had  been 
heard  or  seen  of  the  poHce  with  their  machine- 
guns  stationed  on  the  roofs  of  the  churches 
and  buildings.  The  time  was  not  yet  ripe — 
or  at  least  so  the  Ministers  thought — for 
them  to  be  brought  into  use  for  the  big 
slaughter.  It  is  possible  that  had  they 
been  used  on  this  day  the  Revolution  would 
never  have  taken  place,  but  would  have 
ended,  as  all  previous  revolts  had  done,  in 
failure. 

It  must  be  understood  that  while  these 
happenings  were  taking  place  in  the  streets, 
the  heads  of  the  Revolutionary  Party  had 
not  been  idle,  but  had  been  carefully  following 
the  trend  of  events  with  a  view  to  putting 
into  operation  their  own  organisation  as  soon 
as  they  could  feel  sure  of  a  certain  number  of 
the  soldiers  and  Cossacks.  They  had  also  to 
determine,  from  the  reports  of  their  own 
agents  among  the  workpeople,  just  how  far 
the  present  happenings  would  continue  before 
the  people  lost  their  self-control  and  thus 
complete  the  plans  as  laid  down  by  th^ 
Government, 


RED   MONDAY  loi 

For  the  Revolutionists  to  show  their  hand 
before  the  time  was  really  ripe  would  have 
meant  the  failure  of  the  work  of  years,  and 
would  have  so  put  back  the  clock  as  to  make 
it  impossible  for  them  to  regain  the  upper 
hand  before  the  purpose  of  the  Government 
had  been  fulfilled.  This  would  have  spelt 
ruin  and  slavery  for  Russia  as  a  nation.  They 
had  worked  with  untiring  energy  to  bring 
their  own  organisation  into  such  a  state  that 
they  could  grasp  the  situation  at  a  moment's 
notice  and  use  the  Government's  own  plans 
against  itself. 

It  was  on  this  day  that  the  Tzar,  acting  no 
doubt  upon  the  urgent  advice  of  his  pro- 
German  Ministers,  who  were  afraid  of  the 
great  patriot  Mr.  Rodjanko  and  his  Com- 
mittee of  the  Duma,  telegraphed  to  Mr. 
Rodjanko  to  dissolve  the  Duma  :  the  text  of 
the  telegram  was  as  follows  : — 

"  In  accordance  with  Statute  No.  99  em- 
powering me  to  dismiss  the  Duma,  I  here- 
with order  that  the  Duma  and  Imperial 
Senate  be  dissolved  as  from  February  26th, 


102       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

to  re-assemble  not  later  than   April,   1917, 
depending  on  the  state  of  affairs. 

"  Signed  by  the  hand  of  His  Imperial 
Majesty  the  Tzar  "  Nikolai. 

"  Dated  Headquarters  March  loth  (Feb- 
ruary 25th),  1917.  Undersigned  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Cabinet  of  the  Ministry 

**  Prince  Nikolai  Galitzin." 

Mr.  Rodjanko  immediately  called  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Duma  Committee  and  decided 
to  disobey  the  commands  of  the  Tzar  and 
reply  to  the  orders  received  as  follows  : — 

"  The  Committee  of  the  Elders  met  at  the 
Evening  Conference  and  the  orders  of  the 
Tzar  being  made  known  to  them  decided  that 
the  Imperial  Duma  do  not  dissolve.  All 
Deputies  will  remain  at  their  posts." 

After  this  decision  of  the  Duma,  the 
Revolutionary  Party  decided  that  the  hour 
had  struck.  They  held  a  secret  meeting  of 
the  leaders  at  which  it  was  decided  that  on 
the  Monday  they  would  endeavour  to  fulfil 
the  great  object  for  which  they  had  been 
striving  for  generations,  and  that  the  next  day 
would,  therefore,  decide  the  fate  of  Russia. 


RED   MONDAY  103 

The  rest  of  the  day  and  night  was  spent  by 
the  Revolutionary  leaders  in  putting  the  final 
touches  to  their  plans.  One  of  their  first  acts 
was  to  arrange  for  their  own  most  reliable 
agents  to  mingle  freely  with  the  crowds  and 
to  instruct  the  people  that,  when  the  time 
arrived,  they  were  to  use  every  effort  to  over- 
throw the  Government.  At  the  same  time 
they  were  to  reduce  the  shedding  of  blood 
and  damage  to  property  and  buildings  to  an 
absolute  minimum.  They  also  gave  the 
necessary  instructions  to  the  various  regi- 
ments of  soldiers  of  whom  they  were  sure. 

While  their  efforts  were  bearing  fruit,  the 
crowds  were  still  in  their  thousands  in  the 
streets,  and  further  firing  had  taken  place  by 
the  police.  This  had  worked  the  people  into 
an  extremely  dangerous  mood.  Towards 
evening  several  detachments  of  soldiers,  who 
were  guarding  the  street  bridges,  were  ordered 
to  fire  on  the  crowds,  but  refused  to  do  so 
although  the  police  dressed  as  soldiers  fired 
on  the  slightest  pretext.  The  crowds  had 
now  lost  all  fear  of  the  police  and  were  openly 
carrying  red  flags  and  singing  revolutionary 
songs.     A  particularly  large  crowd  gathered 


104       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

outside  the  Kazan  Cathedral  and  made  a  most 
imposing  sight,  formed  as  they  were  in  a 
dense  mass  between  the  arms  of  the  great 
colonnade  of  this  beautiful  Cathedral. 

Several  orators,  obviously  police  agents, 
mounted  the  plinth  of  the  statues  in  front  of 
the  Cathedral  and  made  fiery  speeches  calling 
upon  the  people  to  make  further  and  stronger 
demands  for  bread,  and  if  refused  to  take  it 
by  force,  also  telling  the  crowds  that  the 
police  had  stored  away  huge  quantities  of 
bread  and  flour.  Usually  such  an  orator  who 
attempted  to  give  voice  to  his  opinions  would 
be  immediately  arrested  and  shown  very 
little  grace  by  the  police,  but  now  it  was 
particularly  noticeable  that  the  police  re- 
frained from  arresting  or  even  attempting  to 
arrest  these  ringleaders.  This  in  itself  was 
significant.  The  people  showed  more  inclina- 
tion to  be  carried  away  by  these  fiery  speeches, 
but,  nevertheless,  the  undercurrent  of  the 
Revolutionary  control  working  amongst  their 
ranks  prevented  them  from  following  the 
advice  of  the  fiery  demonstrators. 

These  happenings  continued  until  towards 
midnight  when  the  crowds  began  to  disperse, 


,,.^:=^j^ 


< 

Tr. 

< 


RED   MONDAY  105 

although  many  thousands  still  remained  in 
the  city.  There  was  every  indication  that  the 
Government's  plans  were  going  slightly  awry 
owing  to  the  control  the  people  maintained 
over  themselves.  The  police  were  instructed 
to  clear  the  crowds  out  of  the  city  as  far  as 
possible.  During  the  night  they  arranged 
several  cordons  across  the  bridges,  so  as  to 
prevent  the  people  returning  in  the  morning 
into  the  city.  The  idea  of  this  was  that, 
when  the  crowds  endeavoured  to  return,  they 
would  naturally  collect  in  dense  masses  at 
the  bridge-head  and  thus  place  themselves 
in  an  ideal  position  for  the  police  to  open  fire 
upon  them  from  the  crown  of  the  bridge. 
Such  a  point  of  vantage  has  always  in  previous 
revolts  been  taken  up  by  the  police  as  it 
enables  them  to  fire  over  the  heads  of  the 
front  ranks  and  into  the  thick  of  the  crowd, 
thus  being  sure  of  kilhng  the  people,  but  at 
the  same  time  missing  their  own  agents,  who 
are  usually  at  the  head  of  such  demonstra- 
tions. 

When  Red  Monday,  March  12th  (February 
27th),  dawned  it  found  crowds  already  collect- 
ing at  the  bridge-heads  leading  into  the  city, 


io6       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

but  stopped  by  these  cordons  of  police,  who 
were  all  fully  armed  and  ready  to  open  fire 
at  a  moment's  notice.  Not  only  the  workmen 
were  stopped  but  all  business  men  and,  no 
matter  what  the  excuse,  permission  to  enter 
the  city  was  not  granted,  although  persons 
wishing  to  leave  it  were  permitted  free  passage 
across  the  bridges.*  By  this  means  the  police 
were  able  to  keep  large  numbers  of  people 
from  entering  the  city.  They  could  not,  how- 
ever, induce  the  crowds  at  the  bridge-heads 
to  act  in  any  way  violently,  in  fact  the  people 
maintained  a  very  serious  and  decorous  de- 
meanour, and  all  the  efforts  of  the  police 
agents  to  produce  acts  of  violence  were  un- 
availing. 

In  the  city,  however,  large  crowds  of 
residents,  and  those  remaining  from  the  pre- 
vious night,  were  formed  into  processions  in 
the  main  thoroughfares,  as  on  the  previous 
day.  These  processions,  which  were  well 
strengthened  by  the  agents  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary Party,  made  their  way  by  various 

*  I  managed  to  get  through  by  saying  I  was  an  Englishman, 
and  mendaciously  adding  that  I  was  a  war-agent  on  my  way  to 
the  British  Embassy. 


RED   MONDAY  107 

routes  to  the  Small-arms  Factory  and  Arsenal 
situated  near  the  Litainai  Bridge  on  one  of 
the  main  thoroughfares  leading  to  the  Nevsky 
Prospect.  This  building  was  guarded  by  a 
strong  force  of  police  and  soldiers.  The 
crowd  very  soon  assumed  tremendous  pro- 
portions and  surrounded  the  buildings  in  a 
dense  mass  and,  in  accordance  with  the  plans 
of  the  Revolutionary  Committee,  became 
threatening.  Thereupon  the  police  immedi- 
ately opened  fire,  killing  and  wounding  a  large 
number  of  people.  This  so  infuriated  the 
mob  that  they  immediately  rushed  the  police 
and  broke  through  them.  The  soldiers  were 
then  ordered  to  fire  but  refused  to  do  so,  and 
joined  with  the  crowd  against  the  police. 

Upon  the  soldiers  throwing  in  their  lot 
with  the  crowd  they  shot  down  their  officers 
and,  together  with  the  people,  broke  into  the 
Arsenal,  which  they  completely  looted  of  its 
enormous  stores  of  small  arms  of  every 
description ;  rifles,  revolvers  and  swords, 
together  with  machine-guns  and  almost  un- 
limited ammunition.  The  soldiers,  who  were 
already  armed,  provided  themselves  with 
additional  ammunition  and  a  number  formed 


io8       RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 

themselves  into  machine-gun  detachments. 
The  crowd  armed  themselves  with  whatever 
weapons  first  came  to  hand. 

During  the  wrecking  of  the  Arsenal  the 
police  continued  to  fire  on  the  people  who, 
now  that  they  had  become  possessed  of  arms, 
joined  the  soldiers  in  returning  the  fire. 
Everywhere  the  police  were  shot  down  with- 
out mercy.  By  this  time  the  crowd  and 
soldiers  had  developed  into  a  disorderly 
rabble  and,  worked  up  to  a  frenzy  of  excite- 
ment, turned  their  attention  to  the  prison  and 
adjoining  Courts  of  Justice.  The  prison  they 
burst  open,  killing  the  guards  and  releasing 
the  inmates  who  were  mostly  criminals.  This 
action  on  the  part  of  the  people  has  since 
been  very  much  regretted,  as  it  only  added  a 
large  number  of  the  worst  possible  characters 
to  the  already  infuriated  mob.  Immediately 
upon  the  prisoners  being  released  they  were 
supplied  with  arms  by  the  mob. 

Among  those  freed  were  a  number  of  men 
awaiting  trial,  including  several  desperate 
characters.  The  first  act  of  their  new-found 
freedom  was  for  these  men  to  destroy  all 
incriminating   evidence   against   themselves. 


THK    Ki;\IAINS    Ol      rilK    (OIKTS    Ol'    ICSTICK. 


RED   MONDAY  109 

Such  evidence  they  knew  was  contained  in 
the  Records  of  the  Courts  of  Justice,  and  they 
immediately  made  their  way  through  the 
crowd  to  that  magnificent  and  imposing 
building  built  in  the  reign  of  Catherine  11. 

The  object  of  these  men  was  to  destroy  the 
records,  but  as  this  would  be  a  lengthy  and 
tedious  task,  they  decided  that  the  quickest 
way  would  be  to  burn  the  building  itself,  or 
at  least  the  section  containing  the  evidence 
which  they  wished  to  destroy.  They  had, 
however,  reckoned  without  the  crowd,  who, 
although  controlled  to  a  great  extent  by  the 
Revolutionary  agents,  were  more  or  less 
beside  themselves  with  the  excitement  of  the 
moment.  Once  the  fire  had  been  commenced 
it  was  allowed  to  spread  throughout  the 
whole  building  which,  in  a  very  short  time, 
was  converted  into  a  blazing  furnace.  Not 
content  with  the  mere  destruction  of  the 
building,  they  set  fire  to  all  the  archives 
containing  records  of  centuries.  This  act 
was  one  of  the  worst  of  the  whole  Revolu- 
tion, but  the  people  were  unaware  that  they 
were  destroying  documents  not  only  of 
historical  value,  but  oi  jnestim^bje  value  to 


no       RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

the  nation  generally  and  involving  the  ruin 
of  many  people. 

The  prison  shared  the  fate  of  the  Courts  of 
Justice  which  it  adjoins,  and  in  a  short  time 
was  also  a  mass  of  flames.  Both  buildings 
burnt  fiercely  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
and  night  and  were  completely  gutted. 

One  of  the  prisons  burnt  was  that  behind 
the  Nikolai  Station,  a  place  of  bad  omen  for 
thousands  of  Russian  families.  Each  Wednes- 
day morning  at  nine  o'clock  the  gates  would 
open  and  there  would  issue  forth  one  of  the 
most  tragic  processions  conceivable.  They 
were  the  convicts,  always  political  prisoners, 
bound  for  Siberia.  There  were  usually  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  men 
and  women,  mostly  chained  together  by  the 
wrist  in  groups. 

Some,  however,  were  chained  from  wrist  to 
ankle,  and  a  few,  too  ill  to  walk,  rode  in  spring- 
less  carts.  Surrounded  by  gendarmes,  who 
in  Russia  were  always  mounted,  ^md  police, 
they  proceeded  to  the  Nikolai  Station  to  en- 
train for  the  point  upon  the  Siberian  Railway 
nearest  to  the  place  of  their  exile.  Very 
seldom  was  this  journey  performed  without 


RED   MONDAY  iii 

casualties,  due  to  the  hardships  experienced. 
These  prisoners  carried  no  luggage,  their  total 
possessions  being  apparently  the  clothes  in 
which  they  stood,  yet  when  a  gang  were 
halted  for  a  few  minutes  and  after  they 
moved  on,  the  road  would  be  littered  with 
refuse  of  all  descriptions,  such  as  paper,  bits 
of  food,  and  the  like.  Where  it  came  from  I 
could  never  make  out. 

In  destroying  such  prisons,  the  people  had 
many  bitter  memories  to  avenge.  The  Pro- 
visional Government  subsequently  informed 
the  people  that  it  was  their  intention  to  allow 
the  ruins  of  the  old  prisons  to  remain  as  fitting 
monuments  to  the  old  Government. 

When  the  news  spread  that  the  soldiers  at 
the  Arsenal  had  joined  the  people,  every 
other  soldier  in  the  streets  at  the  time,  in- 
cluding the  Cossacks,  went  over  to  the  people 
against  the  police.  Having  accounted  for  all 
of  the  police  to  be  found,  the  mob  round  the 
burning  buildings  divided  up  ui to  smaller 
mobs  which  drifted  off  to  various  parts  of  the 
city  looking  for  other  policemen,  whom  they 
shot  down  without  mercy. 

These  mobs  were  greatly  augmented  by  the 


112       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

people  and  soldiers  in  the  streets  and  soon 
formed  into  dense  masses.  During  their 
progress  they  not  only  shot  down  the  police, 
but  stopped  any  officers  met  with,  who  were 
asked  to  give  up  their  arms.  If  they  agreed 
and  handed  over  their  arms  they  were  allowed 
their  freedom,  but  in  cases  where  they  refused 
they  were  shot  down  and  their  arms  taken. 
Any  particularly  unpopular  officers  who  were 
recognised  by  units  of  their  regiments  were 
shot  without  question. 

The  mobs  then  turned  their  attention  to  the 
police-stations  and  houses  of  the  various 
police  officers.  The  police-stations  they  im- 
mediately broke  into,  killing  the  men  in 
charge.  In  cases  where  resistance  was  offered, 
short  but  brisk  fights  took  place,  but  the  end 
was  the  same.  Immediately  they  captured 
the  police-stations  they  set  fire  to  them,  every 
care  being  taken  that  each  piece  of  furniture 
and  every  paper  and  document  in  the  place 
should  be  burnt. 

In  some  cases  the  police-stations  were 
situated  in  a  large  block  of  buildings.  Here 
the  mob,  not  wishing  to  injure  the  property 
of  their  fellow  citizens,  cleared  out  the  con^? 


THE    REMAINS   OK    TIIK    TKISON    ADJOIMNc;    TIIE   COUKTS   OF   JUSTICE 


RED   MONDAY  113 

tents  of  the  police  section  into  the  middle  of 
the  street,  and  there  made  a  huge  bonfire  of 
them.  In  a  very  short  time  every  police- 
station  throughout  the  city  without  exception 
was  either  in  flames  or  its  contents  were  being 
burnt. 

Certain  detachments  of  the  Revolution- 
aries made  their  way  directly  to  the  various 
prisons  in  and  around  Petrograd,  which  in 
every  case  they  broke  open,  killing  the 
guards  and  releasing  the  inmates,  whom  they 
armed.  Thus  the  ranks  of  the  mob  were  very 
quickly  swelled  by  a  host  of  criminals  of  the 
most  desperate  type,  who  were  ready  and 
willing  to  commit  any  act  of  violence  on  the 
slightest  provocation. 

Nevertheless  the  mobs,  although  control 
was  absolutely  absent,  had  sufficient  command 
over  themselves  to  use  their  influence  to 
prevent  whenever  possible  looting  or  injury 
to  their  fellow  citizens,  but  the  police  were 
ruthlessly  shot  down.  One  large  prison  near 
the  Marinskie  Theatre  was  broken  open  and 
several  hundreds  of  prisoners  released.  These 
were  mostly  poor  wretches  who  had  been 
confined  there  since  the  Russo-Japanese  War 


114       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

for  some  slight  political  offences  or  charges 
trumped  up  by  the  police.  No  steps  had  been 
taken  to  investigate  their  cases  with  a  view 
to  releasing  them  from  their  living  death. 
Such  were  the  police  methods. 

When  told  by  their  liberators  that  they 
were  really  free  and  that  a  Republic  was  in 
course  of  construction,  these  poor  creatures 
could  not  realise  the  great  happiness  which  had 
come  to  them.  Those  who  were  released  from 
the  underground  dungeons  were  blinded  when 
brought  into  the  light,  and  grovelled  on  the 
ground  and  kissed  the  feet  of  their  comrades 
who  had  liberated  them.  Such  pathetic  and 
heartrending  sights  were  witnessed  outside 
almost  every  prison. 

Amongst  the  mobs  who  had  made  their 
way  to  the  prisons  were  many  relatives  of  the 
hapless  inmates,  and  most  pathetic  reunions 
took  place.  In  the  majority  of  cases  these 
political  prisoners  when  released  refused  to 
take  up  arms,  as  they  were  only  too  glad  to 
make  the  most  of  their  new-found  liberty. 
As  each  police-station  was  broken  into,  the 
mob  took  control  of  the  large  stores  of  arms 
which  had  been  accumulated  there.     In  an 


RED   MONDAY  115 

incredibly  short  time  there  were  tens  of 
thousands  of  workmen,  students,  hooligans, 
and  criminals  fully  armed  mingling  with  the 
soldiers  in  the  streets. 

Directly  the  Arsenal  had  been  taken,  the 
old  regime  issued  instructions  to  their  units  in 
charge  of  the  machine-guns  on  the  various 
roofs  to  open  fire  on  the  people.  As  very  few 
among  the  crowds  were  aware  upon  which 
buildings  such  guns  were  placed  a  terrible 
and  highly  dangerous  situation  was  created. 
When  the  police  fired  from  the  roofs  they  fired 
into  the  thickest  of  the  mobs,  who  returned 
the  fire  with  interest,  but  doing  very  little 
damage  save  to  the  buildings,  as  the  majority 
of  those  possessing  arms  knew  little  about 
their  use. 

The  situation  of  those  in  the  various  flats 
in  these  particular  buildings  became  very 
dangerous,  and  in  many  cases  the  occupants 
were  shot  through  their  windows  quite  by 
accident.  On  the  other  hand,  the  police  on 
the  roofs  took  care  to  shoot,  with  deliberate 
intention  to  kill,  at  those  who  showed  them- 
selves at  the  windows  of  the  houses  opposite. 
As  the  ammunition  used  by  the  police  was 


ii6       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

charged  with  smokeless  powder  and  these 
events  happened  in  the  daytime,  none  could 
tell  where  the  poHce  were,  and  thus  no  part 
of  the  city  was  safe. 

Knowing  that  the  religious  views  of  the 
Russians  would  to  a  great  extent  prevent 
them  firing  at  churches,  the  Government  had 
with  diaboHcal  intent  caused  the  majority 
of  the  machine-guns  to  be  placed  in  the 
belfries.  It  was  some  time  before  the  people 
realised  where  the  fire  was  coming  from,  and 
even  when  they  did  they  were  very  loath  to 
return  it,  as  they  thought  to  hit  so  sacred  a 
building  would  be  an  act  of  sacrilege.  Never- 
theless the  machine-guns  had  to  be  silenced. 
In  most  cases  this  was  done  by  a  patrol  of 
soldiers  and  people  entering  the  churches, 
which  they  did  with  a  respect  that  was  almost 
awe.  They  then  made  their  way  to  the 
belfries,  where  some  fierce  and  deadly  en- 
counters took  place. 

Owing  to  the  bitter  nature  of  the  fighting 
and  the  enormous  expenditure  of  ammunition, 
the  casualties  soon  mounted  up  to  hundreds 
killed  and  wounded.  The  people  had  now 
practically  taken  command  of  affairs.   The  old 


RED   MONDAY  117 

order  of  the  Government  to  hospitals  and 
doctors  not  to  attend  the  wounded  was 
ignored,  and  very  soon  the  majority  of  the 
hospitals  were  full  of  wounded,  who  received 
every  possible  care.  The  doctors  throughout 
the  city  proceeded  to  attend  to  the  injuries 
of  the  people,  acting  with  the  greatest  heroism 
and  self-sacrifice. 


CHAPTER  VI 
HOURS  OF  CRISIS 

Although  the  events  that  were 
/  ^  happening  take  a  considerable  time 
-A.  JL^to  describe,  they  followed  each  other 
with  almost  bewildering  rapidity.  Whilst 
the  various  mobs  were  wreaking  their  ven- 
geance upon  the  police-stations  and  hunting 
down  the  police,  many  regiments  of  soldiers 
had  gone  over  bodily  to  the  popular  side. 
Before  doing  so  they  had  taken  the  precaution 
of  disarming  their  officers,  the  more  unpopular 
ones  being  shot. 

With  uncontrolled  mobs  wandering  about, 
cases  of  looting  were  inevitable,  more  especi- 
ally by  the  lower  orders,  who  broke  into  gun- 
stores  and  looted  their  contents.  In  a  number 
of  cases  they  broke  into  chemists'  shops  from 
which  they  took  all  forms  of  spirit,  which 
they   drank,    and    soon    mingling   with   the 

Ii8 


HOURS  OF  CRISIS  irg 

crowds  was  a  considerable  number  of  drunken 
or  maddened  units. 

In  a  short  time  the  whole  of  the  city  was 
aglow  with  the  glare  from  the  burning  build- 
ings which,  in  addition  to  the  heavy  firing, 
made  the  situation  appear  far  worse  than  it 
actually  was,  and  had  the  effect  of  clearing 
the  streets  of  the  more  serious-minded  and 
nervous  citizens.  The  mobs  presented  a 
strange,  almost  grotesque  appearance. 
Soldiers,  workmen,  students,  hooligans  and 
freed  criminals  wandered  aimlessly  about  in 
detached  companies,  all  armed,  but  with  a 
strange  variety  of  weapons.  Here  would  be 
a  hooligan  with  an  officer's  sword  fastened 
over  his  overcoat,  a  rifle  in  one  hand  and  a 
revolver  in  the  other  ;  there  a  small  boy  with 
a  large  butcher's  knife  on  his  shoulder.  Close 
by  a  workman  would  be  seen  awkwardly 
holding  an  officer's  sword  in  one  hand  and  a 
bayonet  in  the  other.  One  man  had  two 
revolvers,  another  a  rifle  in  one  hand  and  a 
tram-line  cleaner  in  the  other.  A  student 
with  two  rifles  and  a  belt  of  machine-gun 
bullets  round  his  waist  was  walking  beside 
another  with  a  bayonet  tied  to  the  end  of  a 


120       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

stick.  A  drunken  soldier  had  only  the  barrel 
of  a  rifle  remaining,  the  stock  having  been 
broken  off  in  forcing  an  entry  into  some  shop. 
A  steady,  quiet -looking  business  man  grasped 
a  large  rifle  and  a  formidable  belt  of  cart- 
ridges.* 

Singing,  shouting,  roaring,  firing  off  their 
weapons  into  the  air  regardless  of  whom  the 
bullets  might  hit,  these  mobs  would  wander 
along  without  leaders,  apparently  without 
purpose.  Suddenly  machine-guns  served  by 
the  pohce  would  begin  to  rattle  and  spit  their 
leaden  venom  from  adjoining  roofs.  There 
would  be  a  momentary  hush,  followed  by  the 
cries  of  the  wounded  and  a  general  scurry 
for  cover.  As  the  streets  cleared,  little  heaps, 
some  very  still,  others  writhing  in  agony,  told 
of  the  toll  of  the  machine-guns.  From  the 
doubtful  protection  of  doorways  and  arches 
the  mob  would  send  a  spatter  of  bullets  in 
the  direction  from  which  it  was  thought  the 
leaden  hail  came.  Then  a  few  of  the  braver 
spirits  v/ould  form  themselves  into  a  patrol 
and  force  their  way  to  the  roofs  of  the  build- 
ings and  hunt  out  the  police  at  their  guns. 

*  I  detail  only  what  I  saw  about  me. 


HOURS  OF  CRISIS  121 

This  was  not  so  dangerous  a  proceeding  as 
it  might  appear,  as  owing  to  their  cramped 
positions  the  police  could  not  put  up  a  very 
serious  hand-to-hand  fight.  In  many  cases 
the  police  were  simply  thrown  over  the 
parapets  into  the  roadway  below.  In  cases 
where  policemen  were  wounded,  no  medical 
assistance  was  allowed  them,  but  they  were 
dispatched  out  of  hand.  The  people  of 
Petrograd  had  much  to  avenge. 

Although  it  was  not  yet  noon,  the  whole 
city  and  surrounding  districts  were  by  now 
in  the  hands  of  the  mob.  The  police  guarding 
the  various  bridges,  as  yet  unaware  that  the 
mob  had  assumed  supreme  control  of  the 
situation,  were  surprised  at  their  posts  and, 
after  short  but  brisk  fights,  were  accounted 
for.  Directly  the  numerous  police  agents, 
who  had  been  mingling  with  the  crowds, 
realised  that  events  had  taken  a  turn  contrary 
to  their  expectations,  they  decamped,  but 
in  cases  where  they  were  recognised  they 
were  shot  down. 

Some  of  the  mobs,  led  by  criminals  or 
hooligans,  attempted  to  break  into  the  vodka 
stores,  but  thanks  to  Mr.  Rodjanko  they  were 


122        RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

prevented  from  doing  so.  Without  using 
violence  the  Revolutionary  guards  simply 
explained  the  situation,  pointing  out  that  if 
the  crowds  availed  themselves  of  the  large 
stores  of  vodka  they  would  be  cutting  their 
own  throats  and  furthering  the  interests  of 
the  old  regime.  The  crowds,  who  had 
amongst  them  many  of  the  Revolutionary 
agents,  were  quickly  convinced  on  this  point 
and  left  the  vodka  stores  in  peace,  which 
was  a  good  illustration  of  the  wonderful 
control  which  the  people  kept  over  them- 
selves. 

In  cases  where  large  stores  of  vodka  had 
been  found  in  police-stations,  the  crowd  in- 
variably broke  the  bottles  and  poured  their 
contents  into  the  canals.  Some  of  the  worst 
characters  among  them  drank  large  quantities 
of  the  fiery  spirit  and  were  soon  incapable  of 
taking  further  part  in  the  proceedings.  There 
were  instances  even  of  such  men  being  shot 
down  by  the  people  themselves. 

When  policemen  were  shot  their  weapons 
were  taken,  and  this  added  further  to  the 
number  of  armed  people  in  the  streets.  The 
remaining  policemen,  prepared  for  the  slaugh- 


HOURS  OF  CRISIS  123 

ter  usual  on  such  occasions  but  never  for  a 
moment  anticipating  that  the  soldiers  (and 
more  especially  that  the  Cossacks)  would 
side  against  them,  took  refuge  when  possible 
with  their  comrades  on  the  roofs  of  the 
buildings  and  churches.  Owing  to  the  fact 
that  practically  all  the  large  buildings  through- 
out the  city  have  flat  roofs,  the  police  were 
able  to  collect  together  and  even  change 
their  positions.  Nevertheless  the  organised 
patrols  of  the  people  were  more  than  a  match 
for  them. 

At  this  time  the  crowds  commenced  to 
commandeer  every  automobile  in  the  city, 
no  matter  to  whom  it  might  belong. 
These  automobiles  they  filled  with  armed 
men,  with  at  least  two  soldiers  lying  on  the 
mudguards  with  loaded  rifles  and  fixed 
bayonets.  These  formidable  units  then  rushed 
all  over  the  city  shooting  wildly,  but  with 
the  chief  object  of  hunting  down  the  police, 
especially  those  in  the  outlying  districts  who 
had  not  yet  become  aware  of  the  true  state 
of  affairs  in  the  city  itself,  but  who,  having 
heard  the  intense  firing,  believed  that  their 
programme  was  being  carried  out.     It  was 


124       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

by  this  means  that  the  remainder  of  the 
poHce  were  accounted  for. 

It  was  a  terrifying  sight  to  see  a  private 
limousine  tearing  down  the  road  filled  with 
armed  men  and  a  machine-gun  mounted  on 
its  roof.  The  gun  was  of  very  little  use,  as 
it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the 
men  themselves  could  keep  in  position,  let 
alone  the  gun,  which  wobbled  about  peril- 
ously. Upon  the  motor  lorries  machine-guns 
were  mounted  in  such  a  way  as  to  command 
the  front  edge  of  the  house  roofs  from  the 
roadway.  When  those  in  charge  were  certain 
of  a  particular  building  from  which  the  police 
were  firing,  the  lorry  would  draw  up  and 
return  the  fire. 

With  such  indiscriminate  shooting  the 
casualties  were  extremely  heavy.  They  would 
have  been  much  more  so  had  the  police 
arranged  their  machine-guns  on  a  level  with 
the  roadway  instead  of  on  the  roofs  of  the 
buildings.  Situated  as  they  were  the  machine- 
guns  could  only  command  a  narrow  strip  of 
road,  whereas  on  the  ground  level  they  could 
have  commanded  a  whole  street. 

The  Head  Office  of  the  Secret  Police  was 


<    M 

"J 

—  4) 

—  o 


^  *-c: 


o 


HOURS  OF  CRISIS  125 

situated  in  a  large  block  of  buildings  on  the 
Fontanka  Canal,  where  was  also  situated  the 
flat  of  the  Minister  of  Interior.  The  mob 
broke  in  and,  to  avoid  destroying  the  property 
of  their  fellow  citizens,  brought  out  every 
article  of  furniture  from  the  Minister's  flat 
and  the  Secret  Service  Offices,  together  with 
every  document,  book  and  scrap  of  paper 
they  could  find.  These  were  made  into  huge 
bonfires  in  the  streets.  Thus  in  a  few  mo- 
ments were  destroyed  thousands  of  docu- 
ments containing  details  and  general  particu- 
lars of  every  criminal  and  political  and 
religious  suspect  throughout  the  Empire,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  vast  volumes  of  informa- 
tion relating  to  enemy  spies. 

That  the  incriminating  evidence  relating 
to  the  political  and  reUgious  prisoners  and 
suspects  should  be  burnt  was  entirely  just, 
but  it  was  certainly  deplorable  that  docu- 
ments containing  particulars  of  criminals  and 
spies  were  destroyed.  By  the  destruction  of 
these  documents  all  evidence  of  such  char- 
acters was  lost,  and  the  duties  of  the  militia, 
which  was  formed  later,  were  rendered  more 
difficult  in  rounding  up  such  prisoners.    The 


126       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

only  evidence  upon  which  they  could  go  was 
that  voluntarily  given  by  persons  knowing 
these  men. 

By  this  time  the  old  regime  had  begun  to 
realise  that  their  power  was  disappearing,  if 
it  had  not  already  disappeared.  They  still 
pinned  their  faith,  however,  on  the  soldiers 
who  were  stationed  outside  the  city.  Directly 
hostilities  had  commenced  the  Government 
had  telegraphed  to  Finland  for  several  regi- 
ments of  soldiers  to  be  brought  in  immediately 
to  clear  the  streets.  Fortunately  the  Revolu- 
tionary Party  had  knowledge  of  these  in- 
structions, and  their  agents  immediately 
set  about  to  organise  a  suitable  reception. 
This  they  did  by  commandeering  several 
field-guns,  which  they  placed  behind  hastily 
constructed  barricades  in  Litainai  Prospect, 
commanding  the  bridge  by  which  such  troops 
would  have  to  enter  the  city.  These  field- 
guns  they  reinforced  by  a  number  of  machine- 
guns  trained  on  the  brow  of  the  bridge.  Thus 
equipped  they  awaited  the  arrival  of  the 
new  troops. 

In  due  course  these  troops,  who  were 
ignorant  of  the  real  situation,  arrived.    Upon 


HOURS  OF  CRISIS  127 

reaching  the  bridge  the  new  arrivals  were 
informed  of  what  had  occurred,  the  guns 
mounted  in  position  being  convincing  proof. 
Without  hesitation  they  decided  to  throw 
in  their  lot  with  the  people,  and  upon  doing 
so  they  disarmed  their  officers,  taking  the 
opportunity  to  shoot  the  more  unpopular 
ones.  They  then  joined  the  mobs  in  the 
city. 

Throughout  the  day  red  flags  and  pieces 
of  red  rag  were  everywhere  evident,  and  hardly 
a  soul  was  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  without 
some 'such  decoration.  It  was,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  highly  dangerous  to  be  among  the 
crowds  without  such  evidence  of  one's  sym- 
pathies.* It  was  quite  sufficient  for  any 
person  in  the  crowd  who  happened  to  notice 
the  absence  of  this  emblem  to  shout  out, 
"  Policeman,  spy,  shoot  him."  Without 
being  given  time  to  produce  any  papers  or 
documents  to  prove  his  identity  and  that  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  people,  the  suspect 

*  As  I  describe  later,  personally  I  took  the  precaution 
of  wearing  a  small  Union  Jack  in  my  button-hole.  In  spite 
of  this,  I  was  repeatedly  challenged  by  someone  in  the  mob, 
whereupon  I  uttered  the  magic  word  "  Englishman,"  showed 
my  flag,  and  all  was  well. 


128       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

was  shot.  Such  instances  were  extremely 
rare  considering  the  general  state  of  affairs, 
but  nevertheless  they  happened. 

The  majority  of  those  who  had  remained 
round  the  burning  Courts  of  Justice  and  the 
adjoining  prison,  when  they  saw  that  the 
fire  had  really  got  a  firm  hold  and  there  was 
no  possibility  of  the  buildings  being  saved, 
made  their  way  to  the  Duma  House,  which 
was  guarded  by  gendarmes.  Now,  however, 
the  mob  were  well  armed  and  in  a  fighting 
humour  and  had  been  reinforced  by  the 
soldiers.  A  brisk  but  short  fight  ensued,  for 
the  gendarmes  soon  realised  that  they  were 
being  overwhelmed  and  surrendered  the 
building.  This  happened  early  on  the  Mon- 
day morning,  March  12th  (February  27). 

With  the  mob  that  took  the  Duma  House 
were  a  large  number  of  the  Revolutionary 
leaders,  who,  directly  the  building  was  cap- 
tured, took  charge  of  affairs  and  commenced 
their  work  of  organisation.  They  took 
possession  of  Room  No.  13  of  the  Duma 
building  and  held  a  meeting  to  discuss  their 
plans.  It  must  be  understood  that  these 
men  were  not  of  the  working  classes,  but  were 


< 


y. 

< 


o 

o 

< 

ai 
a: 
< 


y. 


HOURS  OF  CRISIS  129 

the  real  heads  of  the  Revolutionary  Move- 
ment. They  it  was  who  decided  on  the 
Sunday  night  that  the  Revolution  was  to 
take  place,  and  that  they  would  risk  all 
upon  the  success  of  the  movement. 

At  the  time  that  the  Duma  building  was 
taken,  Mr.  Rodjanko,  the  President,  was 
holding  a  meeting  to  decide  the  Duma's 
attitude.  They  had  disregarded  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Tzar  to  dissolve  the  Duma,  and 
the  decision  at  which  they  now  arrived  was 
to  remain  at  their  posts  and  use  every  possible 
effort  to  further  the  interest  of  the  nation. 

On  the  previous  night  (Sunday)  Mr. 
Rodjanko  had  realised  the  course  events  were 
taking  and,  together  with  his  colleagues,  had 
forwarded  the  following  telegram  to  the 
Tzar  at  Headquarters  : — 

"  Position  very  serious.  Anarchy  rife  in 
the  Capital,  Parliament  is  paralysed,  trans- 
port of  provisions  is  entirely  disorganised. 
In  the  streets  disorderly  firing  is  taking  place, 
units  of  the  Army  are  fighting  others.  It  is 
necessary  to  appoint  someone  immediately 
whom  the  country  trusts  to  form  another 

K 


130       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Ministry.  Do  not  delay.  This  would  be 
fatal.  I  pray  to  God  that  the  responsibility 
of  this  day  will  not  fall  upon  him  who  wears 
the  Crown." 

At  the  same  time  Mr.  Rodjanko  and  his 
colleagues  sent  a  copy  of  this  telegram  to 
the  Commanders  of  the  Southern,  Middle 
and  Northern  Armies,  and  requested  them 
to  im.press  on  the  Tzar  the  urgency  of  the 
situation  as  explained  in  the  telegram. 

The  first  reply  was  received  from  General 
Brussilof,  who  answered  :  "  Your  telegram 
to  hand.  Have  fulfilled  my  duty  to  the  Tzar 
and  country."  Later  a  reply  from  General 
Russki  was  received  reading  :  "  Telegram 
received.    Requests  fulfilled." 

On  the  morning  of  Monday,  March  12th 
(February  27th),  Mr.  Rodjanko  addressed  a 
second  telegram  to  the  Tzar  as  follows  : — 

"  Situation  has  become  worse,  necessary 
to  take  immediate  steps.  To-morrow  will  be 
too  late.  The  final  moment  has  arrived  when 
the  fate  of  the  country  and  the  dynasty  will 
be  decided." 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   REIGN  OF  THE  MOB 

LARGE  numbers  of  the  people  and 
soldiers  were  still  occupied  in  setting 
•  fire  to  the  various  police-stations. 
The  remainder  continued  to  hunt  down  the 
police  throughout  the  city  and  on  the  out- 
sldrts,  where  some  brisk  and  deadly  fighting 
took  place.  Later  in  the  day  a  large  mob 
broke  into  the  big  Military  Garage  and  com- 
mandeered all  the  cars,  including  a  number 
of  armoured  cars.  These  they  loaded  up 
with  a  considerable  stock  of  ammunition  and 
used  them  in  the  general  street  fighting. 
These  armoured  cars  were  largely  responsible 
for  the  speedy  way  in  which  the  police  with 
their  machine-guns  were  rounded  up,  as  from 
the  cars  they  were  able  to  concentrate  their 
fire  on  any  particular  point  without  suffering 
injury  themselves. 

131 


132       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Towards  evening  a  large  number  of  people, 
who  had  remained  in  their  houses  during  the 
day,  joined  with  the  crowd  in  the  streets. 
This  fact  was  largely  responsible  for  the 
enormous  number  of  casualties.  Machine- 
guns  spitting  lead  in  all  directions  and  thou- 
sands of  persons  were  firing  indiscriminately. 
It  was  all  a  matter  of  luck  whether  one 
escaped  or  no.*  In  addition  to  the  actual 
fighting  between  the  people  and  the  police, 
numbers  of  young  and  irresponsible  boys  and 
hooligans  found  huge  delight  in  firing  off  their 
weapons  into  the  air  or  at  windows,  in  fact 
anywhere  that  suited  their  fancy.  Again, 
there  was  great  danger  from  the  happily  few 
drunken  soldiers  and  hooligans.  These  took 
a  keen  delight  in  showing  small  groups  of 
people,  especially  women  and  girls,  how  to 
load  and  fire  a  rifle.  This  they  would  do  by 
placing  a  cartridge  in  the  breech  and  then 
pulling  the  trigger,  quite  regardless  as  to 
where  the  bullet  might  go. 

In  a  few  hours  the  value  of  human  life  had 

*  I  myself  had  many  narrow  escapes,  as  I  invariably  found 
myself  in  the  thick  of  the  mob.  It  was  safer,  however,  than 
being  in  my  office  with  bullets  coming  through  the  windows. 


THE  REIGN  OF  iHE  MOB,       133 

dropped  with  startling  suddenne'ss.  By  care- 
lessness in  handling  weapons  quite  a  number 
of  people  were  killed  and  injured.  Little  boys 
also  delighted  in  picking  up  dropped  cartridges 
and  throwing  them  into  the  fires  which  were 
burning  outside  the  police-stations  and  also 
the  usual  fires  in  the  streets  :  this  they  did 
quite  innocently,  but  it  was  a  serious  source 
of  danger. 

During  very  cold  weather  it  is  the  practice 
in  Russian  cities  to  have  large  fires  in  braziers 
at  various  points  to  give  the  people,  more 
especially  the  poorer  classes  and  cabmen,  an 
opportunity  of  warming  themselves.  To  be 
out  for  many  hours  at  a  stretch  in  such  an 
extremely  low  temperature,  one  is  apt  to 
become  numbed  with  the  cold  and  attacked 
by  frostbite,  which  never  gives  any  indication 
of  its  presence  except  that  the  part  attacked 
usually  feels  comfortably  warm. 

During  the  Revolution  these  fires  were 
numerous  throughout  the  streets,  the  dvor- 
nicks  seeing  the  necessity  of  such  fires  to  warm 
their  comrades  in  the  streets.  It  was  in  these 
fires  that  the  younger  element  delighted  to 
throw  loose  cartridges  they  had  picked  up. 


134       RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

In  many  cases  these  children  became  possessed 
of  fire-arms  and,  in  imitation  of  their  elders, 
they  delighted  to  fire  them  off. 

One  little  boy  of  about  twelve  years  of  age 
had  secured  an  automatic  pistol  and,  together 
with  a  large  number  of  soldiers,  was  warming 
himself  at  one  of  these  fires.  Suddenly  he 
pulled  the  trigger  and  one  of  the  soldiers  fell 
dead.  This  so  alarmed  the  boy,  who  had  no 
idea  of  the  mechanism  of  the  deadly  weapon 
he  held,  that  he  kept  the  trigger  pulled  back 
and  the  automatic  pistol  proceeded  to  emipty 
itself.  It  contained  seven  bullets,  and  it  was 
not  until  they  were  all  discharged  that  the 
boy  released  his  hold  of  the  trigger.  The 
result  was  that  three  soldiers  were  killed  and 
four  seriously  injured.  This  wholesale  de- 
struction was  probably  an  isolated  case,  but 
hundreds  of  people  were  injured  by  the  care- 
less use  of  weapons  in  unaccustomed  hands. 
Quite  a  number  of  children  shot  themselves 
whilst  playing  with  fire-arms. 

In  the  evening  and  throughout  the  night 
it  was  a  weird  and  wonderful  sight  to  see  the 
rabble  in  the  streets  waving  red  flags  and 
singing  revolutionary  songs,   while   the   sky 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       135 

was  aglow  from  the  burning  buildings.  One 
particular  fire  was  extremely  picturesque, 
that  of  the  large  police  and  fire  station  situ- 
ated near  the  Nikolai  Station.  All  fire- 
stations  throughout  Russia  are  built  with  a 
very  tall  look-out  tower  usually  surmounted 
by  a  very  high  mast.  It  is  the  practice  that 
when  there  is  a  fire  in  the  city,  the  look-out 
man  on  the  tower  hoists  to  the  top  of  the 
mast  signals  to  indicate  to  the  look-out  men 
on  other  towers  the  district  in  which  the  fire  is 
burning. 

This  particular  station,  combining  both  the 
police  and  fire-brigade  stations,  consisted  of 
four  floors  above  which  was  built  this  high 
tower,  the  whole  reaching  to  a  height  of  about 
150  feet.  This  was  one  of  the  first  stations 
that  the  mob  fired,  and  when  the  flames 
secured  a  good  hold  on  the  building,  the  tower 
acted  as  a  chimney  and  produced  a  most 
weird  and  terrifying  picture  silhouetted  as  it 
was  against  the  night  sky. 

Not  content  with  the  destruction  of  the 
police-stations  and  their  contents,  the  crowd, 
who  now  began  to  realise  their  own  strength, 
decided  that  all  documents  relating  in  any 


136       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

way  whatsoever  to  the  old  regime  and  poUce 
organisation  must  be  destroyed.  This  led 
them  to  private  flats  and  the  residences  of 
local  judges,  which  were  stripped  of  every 
scrap  of  paper,  books,  documents,  etc.  These 
were  burnt  in  the  streets  outside  the  houses. 
They  did  not  forget  the  local  Courts  in  this 
respect,  but  they  have  since  had  cause  to 
regret  such  actions  as  the  documents  and 
records  contained  in  the  local  Courts  were 
invariably  details  and  evidence  relating  to 
small  cases  affecting  the  working  classes. 
Thus  in  many  cases  evidence  was  destroyed 
which  was  really  to  their  own  advantage. 

The  overthrow  of  the  police  and  the  burning 
of  all  records  was  the  death-knell  of  the  old 
regime,  and  was  at  the  same  time  the  peal  of 
victory  of  the  Revolution.  With  the  burning 
of  the  police-stations  many  thousands  of 
passports  were  destroyed,  and  thus  at  one 
stroke  that  wonderful  passport  system  of 
Russia  was  eliminated,  and  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  it  will  ever  be  reinstated  by  the  new 
Government.  It  is  hardly  likely  that  the 
people,  now  that  they  are  free  of  that  badge 
of  serfdom,  will  agree  to  have  its  chains  again 


'-    o 


-  '3 


—  )^ 


"T'tc 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       137 

fettering  their  lives.  As  it  was  difficult  to 
prove  what  passports  had  been  destroyed,  it 
was  quite  natural  that  people  who  had  a  bad 
record  to  show  on  their  passports  soon  de- 
stroyed them,  and  as  no  records  remain  they 
can  continue  life  with  a  clean  sheet.  Even  if 
the  new  regime  continues  the  passport  system, 
at  least  every  person  will  have  the  benefit  of 
beginning  again  with  an  unspotted  record. 

When  it  is  said  that  the  passport  system  is 
now  at  an  end,  that  is  only  in  connection 
with  those  remaining  in  the  country.  For 
those  wishing  to  leave  or  enter  Russia,  pass- 
ports must  still  be  produced  and  vised  in  the 
usual  way  by  the  authorities,  who  if  any- 
thing are  more  strict  than  previously.  Such 
action  is  necessary  to  prevent  spies  and  other 
enemy  agents  taking  advantage  of  the  chaos 
of  the  moment. 

Throughout  these  ternble  times  foreigners 
were  treated  with  the  greatest  respect,  both 
as  regards  their  persons  and  their  property; 
the  only  act  against  them  being  the  com- 
mandeering of  their  motor-cars,  and  even  here 
in  some  cases  such  cars  were  not  taken. 

Where   the    pohce    were    firing   from    the 


138       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

windows  of  houses  the  mob  organised  patrols 
to  search  every  flat  in  the  house.  In  one  case 
the  offices  of  an  EngUsh  firm  were  searched 
five  times  within  the  short  period  of  two  hours. 
A  patrol  of  five  or  six  soldiers  and  workmen, 
all  fully  armed,  demanded  admittance,  and 
upon  it  being  accorded  they  would  command 
the  inmates  to  hold  up  their  hands  whilst  they 
were  thoroughly  searched  for  fire-arms. 

In  this  particular  office  the  Revolutionaries 
demanded  that  the  safe  should  be  opened, 
and  although  there  were  no  fire-arms  there 
was  a  considerable  amount  of  money.  One  of 
the  men  attempted  to  take  it,  but  was  im- 
mediately ordered  by  the  other  members  of 
the  patrol  to  replace  it,  with  the  remark  that 
they  were  not  thieves  and  that  this  was  an 
English  office  and  must  be  respected  as  such.* 
This  was  a  good  indication  of  the  feelings  of 
the  mobs  towards  the  Allies,  for  it  must  be 
clearly  understood  that  this  was  a  revolution 
against  the  old  regime  and,  therefore,  favour- 
able to  the  Allied  cause. 

♦  The  appearance  of  the  men  as  they  stood  there  was  that 
of  officials  performing  an  odious  duty.  I  was  greatly  impressed 
with  their  restraint  and  coolness. 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       139 

From  time  to  time  throughout  the  day, 
members  of  the  workmen's  delegates  and  the 
Revolutionary  Council  drove  about  the  streets 
in  motor-cars  and  gave  the  people  by  word  of 
mouth  some  particulars  of  the  happenings  at 
the  Headquarters  of  the  Organisation.  Such 
information  was  received  with  tremendous 
cheering,  especially  when  the  arrests  of  the 
various  Ministers  of  the  old  regime  were  an- 
nounced. 

In  the  evening  a  special  unnumbered  and 
hastily  printed  News-sheet  was  issued  by  the 
combined  Councils  of  the  Duma  and  the 
Revolutionary  Party.  Distribution  of  this 
News-sheet  was  made  by  fast  motor-cars, 
handfuls  of  the  sheets  being  thrown  to  the 
people  who  scrambled  for  them  in  the  most 
boisterous  manner.*  Immediately  a  person 
obtained  possession  of  one,  he  was  surrounded 
by  a  crowd  asking  for  all  the  News  to  be  read 
out.  It  was  a  most  interesting  sight  to  see 
amongst  the  general  mob  hundreds  of  such 
groups  who  considered  the  contents  of  the 

*  I  was  successful  in  snatching  one  which  I  immediately  put 
in  my  pocket.  It  is  reproduced  here.  A  few  days  after  fifty 
pounds  was  vainly  offered  for  one  of  these  News-sheets. 


140       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

paper  more  important  than  their  own  per- 
sonal safety.  As  the  various  news  was  given 
them  it  was  received  with  wild  acclamation. 

The  heading  to  this  historical  News-sheet 
was  as  follows  : — 

NEWS 

2yth  February,  igiy. 
Newspapers  not  being  pubHshed. 

EVENTS   FOLLOWING   ONE  ANOTHER  TOO 

RAPIDLY. 

THE   PEOPLE   SHOULD  KNOW  WHAT   IS 

HAPPENING. 

Although  a  great  turmoil  was  raging,  and 
every  man  was  striving  his  utmost  in  the 
interests  of  the  nation,  the  Allies  were  not 
forgotten,  for  the  first  News-sheet  contained 
a  small  paragraph  reading  : 

"  ON  THE  ALLIED  FRONT 

"  A  telegram  has  been  received  from  a 
special  correspondent  giving  the  splendid 
news  that  the  British  Army  had  occupied 

BAGDAD." 

On  this  day,  March  12th  (February  27th), 
a  number  of  regiments  of  soldiers  came  over 


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THE   FIRST    NKWS-SIIKKI' 
This  was  issued  on  Red  Monday  liy  the. Provisional  C.ovsinment  as  there  were  no  newspapers 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       141 

in  a  body  to  the  side  of  the  Revolutionists. 
The  first  was  the  Volinski  Regiment,  which 
was  followed  by  the  Probrajenski,  Litofski, 
and  Sapernie  Regiments,  in  all  about  25,000 
men.  These  soldiers  when  they  threw  in  their 
lot  with  the  people  immediately  selected 
delegates  to  represent  them  in  the  Council  of 
Organisation,  and  a  special  deputation  chosen 
by  these  men  called  about  one  o'clock  p.m. 
at  the  Duma  House  and  requested  a  state- 
ment of  the  views  of  the  People's  representa- 
tives. By  this  time  the  Revolutionary  Com- 
mittee was  working  hand-in-hand  with  the 
Committee  of  the  Duma,  presided  over  by 
Mr.  Rodjanko,  and  in  answer  to  the  request 
of  the  new  soldiers'  delegates,  Mr.  Rodjanko 
made  the  following  statements  : — 

"  The  most  important  question  at  the 
moment  is  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  old 
regime  and  the  establishment  of  the  new.  In 
order  to  accomplish  this  the  Duma  will  do 
everything  in  its  power  to  fulfil  the  people's 
wishes,  and  it  is  unconditionally  necessary 
that  order  and  quiet  be  maintained." 

At    the   same   time   the   President   of  the 


142       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Duma  acquainted  the  delegates  with  the  text 
of  the  telegrams  sent  to  the  Tzar  at  Head- 
quarters, and  also  those  sent  to  the  Com- 
manders at  the  fronts. 

At  about  2  p.m.  a  very  strong  section  of  the 
Revolutionary  Army,  accompanied  by  a  large 
armed  crowd,  made  their  way  to  the  Imperial 
Duma.  They  were  accompanied  by  many 
members  of  the  Duma,  among  whom  were 
Chkendce,  Karensky  and  Skobeleff,  who  were 
received  with  great  cheers  by  the  people  and 
soldiers.  These  three  members  of  the  Duma 
delivered  speeches  to  the  crowd  and  urged 
them  to  select  a  special  guard  from  the  soldiers 
to  protect  the  Duma  building.  This  task  the 
soldiers  readily  took  upon  themselves  in 
perfect  order,  and  in  addition  placed  their 
own  operators  in  charge  of  the  telephone  and 
postal  departments  of  the  Duma. 

At  2.30  p.m.  in  the  semicircular  hall  of  the 
Duma,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Rodjanko, 
a  special  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Duma 
took  place  to  consider  the  all-important  ques- 
tion of  appointing  a  Provisional  Committee  to 
secure  order  in  Petrograd,  to  acquaint  various 
cities  and  towns  throughout  the  Empire  with 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       143 

their  decision,  and  to  discuss  with  various 
departments  and  officials  the  steps  necessary 
to  achieve  this  end.  In  view  of  the  large 
number  attending  the  meeting,  the  choice  of 
the  Provisional  Committee  was  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  Advisory  Committee  of  the 
Duma.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  this 
Advisory  Committee  adjourned  to  Mr.  Rod- 
janko's  office  and  the  choice  was  made  by  the 
Elders  of  the  Duma,  their  decisions  being  im- 
mediately published. 

One  of  the  first  actions  of  the  Revolutionary 
Committee,  in  conjunction  with  that  of  the 
Duma,  was  to  arrange  for  the  arrest  of  the 
various  Ministers  and  High  Officials  of  the  old 
regime.  Such  arrests  were  carried  out  with 
extraordinary  rapidity  and  secrecy,  in  fact 
quite  a  number  of  the  old  Ministers  were 
arrested  before  they  were  aware  that  their  own 
power  had  for  ever  disappeared.  Practically 
the  first  arrest  to  take  place  was  that  of  Mr. 
Stchglovetof,  the  President  of  the  Imperial 
Council,  late  Minister  of  Justice.  He  was 
brought  under  a  strong  guard  of  Revolutionists 
to  the  Duma  building  where,  after  a  short 
discussion,  the  Provisional  Committee  placed 


144       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

him  in  the  members'  paviHon  of  the  Tav- 
erchesky  Palace  under  a  close  watch. 

During  the  taking  of  the  Arsenal  in  the 
earlier  part  of  the  day,  General  Matusof, 
Director  of  the  Arsenal,  was  killed.  Although 
the  crowd  had  completely  looted  the  Arsenal 
of  its  stores,  they  had  taken  care  not  to 
damage  any  of  the  machinery  or  plant  in  the 
small-arms  section. 

The  well-known  fortress  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Neva 
opposite  the  Winter  Palace,  was  the  last  of  the 
strongholds  of  the  poHce  to  fall.  Upon  it  being 
taken  possession  of  by  the  Revolutionary 
Army,  all  political  prisoners  were  set  free.  In 
many  cases  the  happy  inmates  had  to  be 
carried  out  into  the  light  of  day,  as  the 
brutal  treatment  which  they  had  received 
for  many  years  had  practically  reduced  them 
to  mere  wrecks  of  humanity.  The  fortress 
itself  was  made  the  headquarters  of  the 
Revolutionary  Army.  A  special  article  in  the 
News-sheet  informed  the  people  officially  that 
all  records  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Police 
Intelligence  Departments  had  been  destroyed, 
together  with  the  old  archives  and  documents 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       145 

referring  to  political  and  religious  prisoners 
and  suspects. 

About  I  p.m.  the  President  of  the  Cabinet 
of  the  Ministry  of  the  old  regime,  Prince 
Galitzin,  telephoned  his  resignation  to  the 
President  of  the  Duma.  At  this  time  it  was 
reported  that  all  other  members  of  the  Minis- 
try, with  the  exception  of  Protropopoff,  had 
tendered  their  resignations.  During  the  day 
the  Revolutionaries  despatched  patrols  to 
search  the  flats  of  all  the  members  of  the 
Cabinet.  This  they  did  very  thoroughly,  but 
had  not  the  pleasure  of  finding  a  single 
Minister  at  home. 

The  flat  of  Count  Fredericks*  was  com- 
pletely stripped  of  every  article  of  furniture, 
which  was  taken  into  the  streets  and  made 
into  a  huge  bonfire.  The  Countess  was  also 
placed  under  arrest  but  was  not  otherwise 
molested.  Count  Fredericks  himself  and  all 
the  other  Ministers  were  hunted  for,  but 
happily  for  them  not  found. 

One  of  the  most  dramatic  incidents  of  the 

*  Count  Fredericks,  the  Head  of  the  Imperial  Household, 
is  of  German  origin,  and  for  many  years  Russians  have  re- 
garded it  as  a  slight  that  a  German  should  occupy  so  high  a 
post. 


146       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Revolution  was  the  arrest  of  Protropopoff, 
the  ex-Minister  of  the  Interior,  for  whom  the 
mobs  had  been  hunting  with  an  earnestness 
that  boded  ill  for  him  if  caught.  The  leaders 
of  the  Revolution  were  enquiring  of  each 
other  in  vain,  "  Where  is  Protropopoff  ?  " 
He  seemed  to  have  disappeared  into  thin  air. 
Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday  passed  without 
news  of  him.  Was  he  in  hiding  ?  Had  he 
escaped  from  Petrograd  ?  Had  he  com- 
mitted suicide  ?    Nobody  knew. 

On  the  night  of  Wednesday,  March  14th 
(March  ist),  a  student  standing  outside  the 
Taverchesky  Palace  was  approached  by  a 
man  in  a  big  fur  overcoat. 

"  Are  you  a  student  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

'*  Please  take  me  to  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Duma,"  said  the  man,  "  I  am 
the  ex-Minister  of  the  Interior."  It  was 
Protropopoff  himself. 

"  I  wish  every  possible  prosperity  to  our 
country,"  continued  Protropopoff,  "  and  on 
that  account  I  came  willingly." 

The  student  called  to  a  party  of  soldiers 
and  informed  them  of  the  identity  of  his 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       147 

companion.  The  soldiers  grouped  themselves 
round  Protropopoff  and  moved  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  Taverchesky  Palace.  The 
prisoner  was  recognised  by  the  crowds,  who 
gave  utterance  to  their  loathing  and  hatred. 
These  cries  were  redoubled  in  force  when  they 
noticed  the  tears  pouring  down  Protropopoff's 
face.  The  soldiers  protected  him  from  the 
crowds  and  finally  dehvered  him,  pale  and 
trembling,  to  a  m.ember  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  Seeing  who  it  was,  the  mem.ber 
called  for  a  strong  guard,  and  more  soldiers 
with  fixed  bayonets  marched  the  prisoner  to 
the  Ministers'  Pavilion.  In  a  few  minutes 
Citizen  Karensky,  one  of  the  new  Ministers, 
arrived.  Protropopoff  immediately  rose  and, 
approaching  Karensky,  exclaimed  : 

*'  Your  Excellency,  I  am  giving  myself 
into  your  hands." 

'*  Ex-Minister  Protropopoff,"  replied  Karen- 
sky, "in  the  name  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
I  declare  you  arrested." 

Protropopoff  bent  towards  Karensky  and 
proceeded  to  whisper  something. 

*'  Officer  of  the  guard,"  exclaimed  Karensky, 
"  the  ex-Minister  of  the  Interior  wishes  to 


148       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

make  a  secret  communication.  Please  take 
Protropopoff  into  a  separate  room."  This 
was  done,  and  a  conference  took  place 
between  the  two  men,  the  nature  of  which 
has  not  yet  transpired.* 

It  was  an  irony  of  fate  that  delivered 
Protropopoff  into  Karensky's  hands,  for  upon 
Protropopoff's  papers  and  other  effects  being 
searched,  evidence  was  found  to  the  effect 
that  he  intended,  after  a  successful  conclusion 
of  the  revolt,  to  prosecute  Karensky  for  high 
treason,  his  charge  being  based  upon  certain 
statements  made  by  Karensky  at  one  of  the 
meetings  of  the  Duma  Delegates  prior  to  the 
Revolution. 

Protropopoff  now  awaits  his  trial  together 
with  the  other  ex-Ministers. 

An  hour  previously  another  ex-Minister, 
General  Soukomlinoff  (ex-Minister  of  War), 
had  been  taken  into  the  Duma  under  a 
strong  guard  of  soldiers.  News  of  his  arrival 
spread  quickly  over  the  whole  building, 
causing  great  excitement  among  the  soldiers. 
The  ex-Minister  of  War  was  taken  into  a 
waiting-room  still  under  strong  guard.     It 

*  At  least  not  at  the  time  I  left  Petrograd. 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       149 

was  obvious  that  the  soldiers  were  scarcely 
able  to  conceal  their  hatred  and  disgust. 
One  man,  a  delegate  from  the  Probrajenski 
Regiment,  suddenly  entered  the  room,  saw 
who  the  prisoner  was,  strode  over  to  him 
and,  in  the  presence  of  all,  tore  the  epaulettes 
from  Soukomlinoff's  shoulders. 

Although  the  original  delegates  of  the 
people  were  practically  all  of  the  old  Revolu- 
tionary Party,  throughout  the  day  their 
numbers  were  increased  by  special  deputies 
chosen  by  the  workpeople,  soldiers  and 
other  groups,  and  continual  conferences  were 
in  progress.  These  delegates  arranged  deputa- 
tions from  the  workmen  in  order  to  hold 
meetings,  explain  the  situation  to  the  people, 
and  enable  them  to  appoint  still  further 
delegates  that  there  might  be  no  question 
that  every  class  would  be  fairly  represented. 
From  Headquarters  the  following  declaration 
was  made  by  special  leaflets  issued  to  the 
people  from 

"  Citizens,  representatives  of  the  work- 
men, soldiers  and  people  of  Petrograd  who 
have  met  at  the  Duma,  inform  you  that  the 


150       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

first  meeting  of  the  chosen  representatives 
will  be  held  at  the  Duma  at  7  o'clock  this 
evening.  All  those  who  have  gone  over  to 
the  side  of  the  people  should  choose  their 
representative  at  once,  one  deputy  from  each 
regiment,  the  factories  must  choose  one 
deputy  from  every  1000  workpeople,  and 
works  having  less  than  1000  workpeople  are 
to  choose  one  deputy." 

The  above  declaration  was  signed  by  the 
Provisional  Executive  Committee  of  the 
people's  representatives.  A  further  declara- 
tion was  made  as  follows  : — 

**  Citizens  and  soldiers  who  are  on  the  side 
of  the  people  have  been  fighting  in  the  streets 
since  early  morning  on  your  behalf.  The 
representatives  of  the  workmen,  soldiers  and 
people,  therefore,  suggest  that  something  be 
done  to  feed  these  soldiers,  but  to  establish 
an  organisation  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  is 
difficult.  The  Committee,  therefore,  ask  you 
citizens  to  feed  the  soldiers  in  any  way  in  your 
power  and  with  any  foods  which  you  can  give." 

This  appeal  to  the  people,  which  was  also 
signed  by  the   Provisional  Committee,   met 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       151 

with  instantaneous  results,  and  everywhere 
soldiers  were  invited  into  flats  to  warm 
themselves  and  be  fed.  Restaurants  immedi- 
ately opened  their  doors  and  posted  large 
placards  outside,  inviting  soldiers  to  come  in 
and  partake  of  free  meals.  A  very  common 
sight  was  to  see  benevolent  old  gentlemen  in 
the  streets  with  large  boxes  of  cigarettes, 
which  they  handed  out  to  the  soldiers. 

Although  appreciating  the  kindness  and 
well-meant  intentions  of  these  gifts,  the  men 
derived  very  little  satisfaction  from  smoking 
them,  for  the  soldiers  and  peasants  of  Russia 
smoke  an  exceptionally  strong  weed  known 
as  Mahorka,  which  has  a  vile  taste  and  a  still 
viler  smell,  and  would  burn  the  throat  and 
turn  the  stomach  of  most  smokers. 

When  making  a  cigarette  they  usually 
take  a  small  piece  of  newspaper  and  roll  it 
into  a  long  thin  funnel.  This  they  fill  with 
this  noxious  weed,  bite  off  the  thin  end  of 
the  funnel  and  then  proceed  to  light  up.  The 
atmosphere  in  a  room  in  which  several  such 
cigarettes  are  being  smoked  soon  becomes 
unbearable  to  the  ordinary  person,  but  does 
not  seem  to  have  the  slightest  effect  on  the 


152       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

smokers.  In  Russia  a  "  third-class  smoker  " 
is  the  most  effective  emetic  I  know. 

While  the  Revolutionary  Committee  was 
working  at  terrific  pressure  to  bring  its  own 
organisation  into  effective  action,  the  general 
street  fighting  was  still  in  progress,  although 
the  number  of  police  was  being  reduced 
hourly  as  the  mobs  ran  them  to  earth.  Those 
on  the  roofs  of  the  churches  and  buildings, 
however,  were  still  ignorant  of  the  general 
trend  of  affairs.  They  were  without  means 
of  communicating  with  their  comrades,  but 
they  must  have  seen  that  all  was  not  well. 
Looking  down  into  the  streets  from  their 
positions  behind  their  guns  they  could  see 
soldiers  and  Cossacks  mingling  with  the 
crowds  and  firing  up  at  them. 

During  previous  revolts  in  Russia  the 
people  in  isolated  cases  have  sometimes 
momentarily  got  control,  and  it  was  no  doubt 
such  a  thought  which  buoyed  up  the  hopes 
of  the  police  that  reinforcements  of  loyal 
troops  would  soon  be  drafted  into  the  city  to 
restore  order.  It  is  beyond  question  that  had 
only  a  few  regiments  of  troops  loyal  to  the 
old  regime  been  available  they  could,  with 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB      153 

very  little  difficulty,  have  cleared  the  city  of 
its  leaderless  mobs.  It  was  this  lack  of  the 
necessary  few  loyal  regiments  to  aid  the 
police  that  sealed  the  fate  of  the  old  regime. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  the  Government 
could  have  found  at  least  one  or  two  regiments 
who  would  still  have  thrown  in  their  lot  with 
them  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that,  during 
the  earlier  stages  of  the  trouble,  the  authori- 
ties had  ordered  a  number  of  police  to  dress 
in  the  uniforms  of  the  soldiers  of  well-known 
regiments.  The  sinister  object  of  this  was  to 
show  the  people  that  the  soldiers,  who  had 
always  stood  by  the  Government,  were  still 
on  their  side.  By  this  deception  the  then 
Ministers  showed  that  they  were  fully  aware 
that  the  loyalty  of  the  soldiers  was  doubtful. 
It  was  this  supreme  mistake  which  ensured 
the  success  of  the  Revolution.  When  those 
regiments  whose  uniforms  had  been  so  mis- 
used learned  that  the  police  had  been  dis- 
guised as  units  of  their  battalion,  they  were 
indignant,  and  without  more  ado  threw  in  their 
lot  with  the  people. 

Throughout  the  day  many  officers  had  been 
shot  while  others  had  been  arrested  and  dis- 


154       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

armed  and  confined  in  the  Duma  building,  in 
accordance  with  instructions  from  the  Revolu- 
tionary Committee.  Such  arrested  officers 
were,  in  some  cases,  allowed  to  take  with 
them  a  small  bundle  of  necessaries,  others 
were  not  even  permitted  this.  For  all  men 
holding  officers'  rank  this  was  a  day  of  terror. 
Those  who  had  treated  their  men  harshly 
paid  for  it  with  their  lives.  Such  treatment 
seems  drastic,  yet  knowing  a  great  number 
of  such  officers  personally,  and  being  intimate 
with  their  cruel  methods  of  enforcing  their 
orders,  I  had  to  confess  to  myself  that  they 
had  received  only  their  just  deserts. 

Thousands  of  soldiers  were  to  be  seen 
wandering  aimlessly  about.  Military  dis- 
cipline had  quite  disappeared,  every  soldier 
was  now  his  own  master.  This  constituted  a 
serious  problem  for  the  Revolutionary  Com- 
mittee, but  they  were  powerless.  The  soldiers 
had  been  accustomed  to  obey  the  word  of 
command.  They  now  found  themselves  with- 
out officers,  without  restraint,  and  with 
nothing  to  do  but  wander  about  hunting  for 
policemen.  The  most  amazing  thing  is  that 
a  veritable  orgy  of  murder  and  terrorism  did 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       155 

not  ensue,  and  it  is  a  lasting  credit  to  the 
Russian  character  that  well-dressed  people 
moved  freely  about  without  molestation. 

It  was  the  soldiers  who  had  fought  for  and 
won  the  Revolution,  for  without  their  aid  the 
Revolutionary  Party,  weakened  as  they  were 
by  so  many  of  their  most  reliable  units  being 
in  the  trenches,  could  never  have  carried 
through  the  Revolution  to  victory. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  this  terrible  yet 
wonderful  Revolution  was  more  or  less  an 
accident.  The  Revolutionary  Party,  al- 
though working  for  so  many  years  to  com- 
plete its  programme,  was  not  yet  in  a  position 
to  feel  confident  of  success.  It  is  a  great 
testimony  to  the  efficacy  of  its  organisation 
that  the  leaders  were  able,  the  moment  the 
opportunity  offered,  to  grasp  the  situation, 
act  with  courage  and  inspiration  and,  at  such 
short  notice,  convince  the  people  that  this 
was  the  hour  in  which  to  fulfil  the  destiny  of 
Russia  as  a  free  nation. 

Now  that  the  Revolution  was  accomplished, 
the  two  great  problems  for  the  leaders  were, 
firstly,  how  to  get  the  soldiers  back  to  dis- 
cipline ;  secondly,  how  to  disarm  the  hooligans 


156       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

and  criminals  and  restore  order  in  the  city. 
The  Committee  were  fully  aware  that  as  long 
as  mob  rule  reigned  their  plans  were  in 
jeopardy.  These  points  were  given  the  most 
serious  consideration  at  Headquarters,  and 
at  midnight  on  Monday  the  following  declara- 
tion was  issued  to  the  people  in  a  special 
leaflet  and  distributed  throughout  the  city : — 

"  The  Provisional  Committee  of  the  Im- 
perial Duma  request  the  inhabitants  ^f 
Petrograd,  in  the  common  interests  of  all, 
not  to  damage  any  particular  Government 
property  such  as  installations,  telegraph, 
waterworks,  lighting  and  power  stations, 
tramways  and  parliamentary  palaces  and 
departments.  In  like  manner  the  Imperial 
Duma  suggest  the  protection  by  the  citizens 
of  Works  and  Factories  where  the  work  for 
the  War  or  for  the  general  good  is  being 
carried  on.  Do  not  forget  that  damage  to  or 
destruction  of  the  departments  or  property 
benefits  no  one  and  brings  only  great  harm 
to  the  country.  All  the  people  and  further 
everyone  requires  light,  water  and  other 
services.     You  are  further  requested  not  to 


&2     fU 


2;     ., 


o  = 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  MOB       157 

jeopardise  the  life  or  health  or  at  the  same 
time  damage  the  property  of  private  persons. 
The  shedding  of  blood  or  destruction  to  the 
country  will  be  a  blot  to  the  conscience  of 
the  guilty  ones,  but  not  only  this,  would 
tend  to  impoverish  the  whole  population  of 
the  capital. 

"  Signed  by  the  President  of  the  Duma, 

Michael  Rodjanko." 

At  the  same  time  a  second  proclamation 
was  issued  as  follows  : — 

"  The  Provisional  Committee  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Imperial  Duma  under  the  difficult 
conditions  and  disorder  which  are  due  to  the 
acts  of  the  old  government,  find  it  incumbent 
on  them  to  restore  order  in  the  governmental 
and  public  services.  The  committee  realising 
the  great  importance  and  responsibility  of 
the  undertaking  hope  for  the  assistance  of 
the  people  and  the  army  so  that  they  may 
be  enabled  to  make  such  arrangements  as 
will  meet  with  their  wishes  and  to  retain  the 
confidence  of  the  people  as  a  whole. 

"  Signed  President  of  the  Imperial  Duma, 

"Michael  Rodjanko." 


158       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Throughout  that  night  the  city  was  aglow 
from  the  reflection  of  the  burning  buildings. 
Crowds  passed  restlessly  through  the  streets 
to  the  accompaniment  of  the  shouts  of  men 
and  the  crack  of  rifles,  with  an  occasional 
splutter  of  a  machine-gun 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  historical  and 
probably  the  most  memorable  day  for  the 
Russian  people.  To  quote  a  remark  heard, 
"  The  slowest  people  on  earth  had  done  the 
quickest  thing  in  history." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   DAWN   OF  THE   NEW   ERA 


w 


ITH  Tuesday,  March  13th  (Febru- 
ary 28th),  dawned  a  new  era  for 
the  Russian  nation.  Although 
fighting  between  the  people  and  the  police 
had  continued  throughout  the  night,  and  the 
dawn  shed  its  light  upon  streets  still  crowded 
with  armed  mobs,  the  general  atmosphere 
seemed  less  strained  and  the  people  had 
entirely  regained  their  good-humour. 

Many  armoured  cars,  private  cars,  and 
large  motor  lorries  bristling  with  armed 
men,  continued  to  career  through  the  streets, 
and  machine-guns  from  the  roofs  still 
poured  down  their  deluge  of  lead.  These 
machine-guns,  however,  had  been  greatly 
reduced  in  number,  and  the  police  in  control 
of  those   still  remaining   were  holding  out, 

159 


i6o       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

hoping  for  relief  that  would  never  come. 
Their  only  chance  lay  either  in  escape  or 
surrender  to  the  people.  In  many  instances 
the  crowd  shouted  to  the  police  on  the  roofs 
that  the  old  Government  had  been  over- 
thrown, but  those  trained  servants  of  the  old 
regime  were  incredulous. 

Early  on  this  morning  news  came  through 
that  two  regiments  of  Siberian  troops  would 
shortly  arrive  at  the  Nikolai  Station  to  restore 
order  in  the  city.  The  Revolutionists  at  once 
gathered  together  a  complete  regiment  of 
soldiers,  which  lined  up  in  front  of  the  Station. 
On  either  side  of  the  lines  of  soldiers  were 
stationed  armoured  cars  supplemented  by 
machine-guns,  all  trained  upon  the  station. 
Upon  seeing  what  elaborate  preparations  had 
been  made  for  their  reception,  the  new  arrivals 
were  impressed  and  promptly  declared  them- 
selves for  the  people. 

They  immediately  disarmed  all  of  their 
officers  and  placed  them  under  arrest,  but 
they  would  not  agree  to  any  of  them  being 
killed.*     In  this  the  crowd  acquiesced,  and 

*  I  was  in  the  square  at  the  time,  and  was  surprised  at  the 
wonderful  order  maintained  by  the  soldiers. 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  i6i 

the  officers  were  then  allowed  their  freedom, 
but  without  arms.  These  new  troops  then 
mingled  with  the  crowds  and  were  received 
with  great  acclamations.  Pieces  of  red  ribbon 
were  supplied  to  them,  which  they  immedi- 
ately pinned  to  their  tunics  or  tied  to  their 
bayonets.  They  then  joined  the  crowd  in 
their  police  hunts. 

During  the  morning  large  bodies  of  Cossacks 
and  soldiers  from  the  various  military  camps 
round  Petrograd  came  into  the  city  without 
their  officers  and  joined  the  people.  All  of 
the  officers  had  been  disarmed  and  the  un- 
popular ones  had  been  shot.  Others  who 
were  given  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  were 
placed  in  confinement.  Any  officers  appear- 
ing in  the  streets  were  immediately  stopped 
and  disarmed.  A  number  of  them,  however, 
and  more  especially  the  old  generals  and 
retired  officers,  who  had  been  used  to  the 
strictest  obedience  all  their  lives,  quite  natur- 
ally refused  to  comply  with  the  wishes  of 
the  soldiers  and  the  crowd  and  were  im- 
mediately shot  where  they  stood. 

All  over  the  city  brisk  fighting  continued, 

more  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Nevsky 
u 


i62       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Prospect  and  the  Nikolai  Station.  Some  of 
the  fiercest  fighting,  however,  took  place  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  where  the  buildings 
were  of  smaller  dimensions  and  thus  gave 
the  police  with  their  machine-guns  a  greater 
control  over  the  thoroughfares.  In  one  case  a 
party  of  soldiers  were  marching  down  the 
road,  when  the  door  of  a  common  tea-house 
situated  at  the  comer  of  the  street  suddenly 
opened,  and  two  machine-guns  poured  a 
murderous  hail  into  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers, 
completely  annihilating  them.  Even  when 
they  fell  wounded,  the  machine-guns  con- 
tinued to  play  on  the  bodies  until  none  stirred. 
During  these  days  quick  decision  often 
meant  one's  life.  As  an  instance,  a  body  of 
mounted  soldiers  were  entering  the  city  from 
one  of  the  distant  military  camps,  when  they 
were  met  by  a  large  body  of  armed  Revolu- 
tionists and  soldiers,  who  asked  them  on 
which  side  they  were.  The  mounted  soldiers 
replied,  "  We  will  decide  that  question  when 
we  reach  the  city,"  but  this  decision  was 
never  allowed  them,  for  volley  after  volley 
was  poured  into  them  by  the  crowds,  hardly 
a  man  escaping. 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  163 

Many  very  tragic  but  nevertheless  humor- 
ous incidents  occurred  owing  to  some  of  the 
poHce  endeavouring  to  escape  disguised,  their 
favourite  disguise  being  to  dress  as  a  woman, 
and  certainly  some  of  them,  especially  the 
bigger  men,  hardly  did  justice  to  the  fair  sex, 
as  even  with  a  pretty  hat,  a  thick  veil  and 
feminine  costume,  their  identity  was  in- 
variably betrayed  by  their  general  bearing 
and  size.  When  caught  they  were  in  some 
instances  shot,  but  more  often  taken  prisoners 
and  escorted  to  places  of  detention.  Such 
prisoners  when  being  escorted  through  the 
streets  by  a  party  of  soldiers  were  a  pitiable 
sight.  They  could  not  disguise  the  terror 
they  felt,  yet  strove  to  show  a  bold  front. 

One  very  notable  incident  of  this  day  was 
the  sacking  of  the  Astoria  Hotel.  This  was 
the  largest  and  most  modern  hotel  in  the 
city,  which  some  months  previously  had  been 
commandeered  by  the  Military  Authorities 
as  a  place  of  residence  for  officers  on  leave 
with  their  families,  also  for  officers  of  the 
Alhed  Armies.  On  the  previous  evening  a 
deputation  had  approached  the  hotel  and 
stated    that,    provided    no    resistance    was 


i64       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

offered  from  those  in  the  hotel,  the  Revolu- 
tionists on  their  part  would  refrain  from 
violence  towards  the  building  or  its  inmates. 

On  the  Tuesday  morning  an  enormous 
crowd  made  its  way  to  the  hotel,  and  a 
deputation  was  sent  in  to  ask  for  the  sur- 
render of  the  Russian  officers  in  the  building. 
The  deputation  promised  that  every  possible 
facility  would  be  offered  to  the  foreign  officers 
to  leave  the  building  with  their  effects,  and 
that  motor-cars  would  be  placed  at  their 
disposal.  While  the  deputation  was  in  the 
hotel  a  Russian  general  performed  the  mad 
act  of  firing  into  the  crowd  from  one  of  the 
windows.  At  the  same  moment  a  machine- 
gun  stationed  on  the  roof  poured  a 
stream  of  lead  into  the  dense  mass  below, 
killing  and  wounding  a  large  number  of 
people. 

This  infuriated  the  mob,  who  returned  the 
fire  of  the  machine-gun  with  tremendous 
interest.  They  simply  poured  volley  after 
volley  into  the  building,  and  then  rushed  the 
place.  This  hotel  had  enormous  plate -glass 
windows  reaching  to  the  level  of  the  roadway. 
These  windows  were  very  soon  broken  and 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  165 

the  crowd  poured  into  the  building,  where  a 
most  terrible  struggle  took  place,  numbers 
being  killed  on  either  side  as  the  Russian 
officers  offered  a  stout  resistance.  The  worst 
of  the  fighting  took  place  in  the  vestibule, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  big  revolving 
doors  were  turning  round  in  a  pool  of 
blood. 

Quite  a  number  of  EngHsh  officers  were 
resident  in  the  building  at  the  time,  but 
naturally  did  not  attempt  to  join  in  the 
fighting.  Their  chief  concern  was  for  the 
women  and  children  in  the  building.  These 
they  collected  together  and  formed  a  guard 
in.  front  of  them.  They  then  informed  the 
mob  who  were  in  the  hotel  that  they  them^ 
selves  would  not  in  any  way  interfere  with 
their  programme  provided  that  the  women 
and  children  were  not  molested,  but  in  such 
an  event  they  would  protect  them  to  the  last 
man.  This  called  forth  great  cheers  from 
the  crowd,  who  promised  that  they  would  not 
interfere  with  the  English  or  other  foreign 
officers  or  any  of  the  women  and  children. 
This  promise  they  religiously  kept,  but  in- 
sisted  that   all   Russian   officers   must   give 


i66       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

themselves  up  without  further  delay.  This 
they  were  persuaded  to  do,  with  the  result 
that  they  were  all  immediately  placed  under 
arrest  and  taken  from  the  building. 

In  the  square  outside  a  number  of  these 
officers  were  shot,  while  others  were  taken 
to  places  of  detention  under  a  strong  escort 
of  soldiers.  Several  generals  were  taken  out 
and  shot,  including  him  who  had  first  fired 
on  the  crowd,  and  his  body  was  thrown  into 
the  adjoining  canal.  The  mob  then  looted 
the  building,  with  the  exception  of  the  rooms 
occupied  by  the  foreign  officers.  They  also 
broke  into  the  wine  cellars,  freely  consuming 
all  intoxicants.  Thus  very  shortly  quite  a 
number  of  the  mob  and  soldiers  were  reduced 
to  a  state  of  intoxication.  Some  of  the 
soldiers,  after  they  had  drunk  as  much  as 
they  possibly  could,  poured  the  wine  into 
their  top-boots  and  then  wandered  away  to 
consume  more  elsewhere.* 

All  papers,  documents  and  records  in  the 
building  were  taken  into  the  street  and  made 

♦  I  was  in  the  crowd  throughout  the  sacking  of  the  hotel 
and  close  to  the  spot  where  the  generals  were  executed.  Later 
I  went  into  the  hotel,  but  was  ordered  out  by  the  soldiers. 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  167 

into  a  huge  bonfire.  The  crowd  then  brought 
up  a  number  of  motor-cars  and  requested  all 
foreign  officers  to  leave  the  building.  This 
wag  done  by  all  officers  except  the  English, 
who  decided  to  remain  where  they  were, 
and  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  evening, 
when  the  crowd  threatened  to  bring  up  the 
artillery  and  raze  the  building  to  the  ground, 
that  the  Englishmen  decided  to  leave.  This 
threat  of  the  mob,  however,  was  not  carried 
into  effect,  and  the  building  still  stands, 
although  it  has  a  most  dilapidated  appear- 
ance. 

Throughout  the  day  news  of  the  happenings 
at  Headquarters  was  again  given  to  the  people 
by  word  of  mouth  from  motor-cars,  and  in 
the  afternoon  and  evening  further  editions 
of  the  news-sheets  were  issued. 

The  representatives  of  the  soldiers  and 
workpeople  issued  the  following  statement, 
dated  March  13th  (February  28th)  : — 

"  The  old  regime  has  brought  the  country 
to  the  greatest  disorder  and  the  people  to 
hunger.  To  stand  this  long  with  patience  is 
impossible.     The   inhabitants   of   Petrograd 


i68       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

went  into  the  streets  and  declared  their 
decision  and  they  were  met  with  volleys 
instead  of  bread.  The  Government  of  the 
Tzar  gave  them  lead,  not  bread.  The 
soldiers,  however,  were  loath  to  go  against 
the  people  and  turned  against  the  Govern- 
ment. In  company  with  the  people  they 
obtained  arms  and  more  supplies,  and  also 
took  charge  of  a  number  of  important  Govern- 
ment departments. 

"  The  fighting  continues.  It  must  be  carried 
through  to  the  end.  The  old  regime  must  be 
destroyed  never  to  return,  and  a  govern- 
ment by  the  people  established  in  its  place. 
This  must  be  done  for  the  salvation  of 
Russia. 

"  The  success  of  the  fighting  in  the  interests 
of  democracy  depends  on  the  realisation  by 
the  people  of  the  necessity  of  organisation 
and  all  their  powers. 

"  Yesterday,  March  12th  (February  27th), 
in  the  Capital  was  elected  a  Council  of  work- 
men. They  were  chosen  from  representatives 
of  workers  at  works  and  factories,  from  the 
army,  democratic  socialistic  parties  and  other 
groups. 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  169 

"  The  Council  of  the  labour  deputies  met 
at  the  Imperial  Duma  to  organise  the  people's 
power  to  fight  to  a  decisive  finish  and  secure 
the  political  freedom  and  self-government  by 
the  people  of  Russia. 

"  The  Council  has  appointed  district  repre- 
sentatives to  establish  the  people's  regime 
throughout  the  various  districts  of  Petrograd. 
We  asked  the  whole  population  of  the  Capital 
to  gather  round  the  Council,  choose  condi- 
tions and  take  into  their  hands  arrangements, 
and  conduct  local  affairs. 

"  Altogether  and  with  united  strength  we 
will  fight  to  the  absolute  destruction  of  the 
old  Government,  and  call  together  a  Govern- 
ment which  shall  govern  with  impartiality, 
justice,  and  freedom  to  all. 

"  (Signed)  Council  and  Labour  Deputies, 

*'MlLIUKOFF  AND   KaRENSKY." 

Mr.  Rodjanko,  President  of  the  Duma,  made 
a  long  speech  to  the  soldiery,  which  was  to 
this  effect  :  "  The  soldiers  should  obey  their 
officers,  as  the  old  regime  is  still  strong,  and 
a  small  band  of  well-organised  men  is  stronger 


170       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

than  disorganised  mobs.  Therefore  organise 
and  obey  your  officers.  Welcome  freedom 
of  the  citizens  of  Russia."  His  speech  was 
received  with  great  acclamation  by  his  audi- 
ence. 

On  the  night  of  March  13th  (February 
28th)  the  Imperial  Council  decided  to  inform 
the  Tzar  of  the  new  state  of  affairs,  and  after 
a  lengthy  meeting  they  sent  the  following 
telegram  to  the  Tzar,  signed  by  the  members 
of  the  Imperial  Council.  The  text  of  the 
telegram  was  as  follows  : — 

"  Your  Imperial  Highness.  We,  the  under- 
signed chosen  members  of  the  Imperial 
Council,  conscious  of  the  great  danger  now 
threatening  the  Fatherland,  in  duty  to  your 
person  appeal  to  you. 

"  In  view  of  the  complete  breakdown  of 
the  transport  service  and  delivery  of  necessary 
materials,  all  works  and  factories  have  come 
to  a  standstill.  The  consequent  lack  of  work 
and  lack  of  provisions,  brought  about  by 
the  deplorable  disorganisation  of  the  trans- 
port service,  has  reduced  the  people  to  despair. 
The  feeling  is  still  increasing  that  the  fault 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  171 

lies  with  the  Government,  and  the  feeling 
against  the  powers  is  sinking  deeper  into  the 
souls  of  the  people.  All  this  has  weakened 
them  and  stirred  their  sleeping  power,  and  in 
this  movement  the  Army  is  taking  part. 
The  Government,  never  taking  advantage  of 
opportunities  to  trust  Russia,  has  finally 
been  rendered  powerless  and  discredited, 
and  has  brought  about  a  deplorable  state  of 
affairs. 

"  Sire,  the  further  continuance  of  the  pre- 
sent Government  in  power  will  result  in  a 
complete  loss  of  all  order,  war,  the  fall  of 
the  dynasty  and  the  absolute  impoverish- 
ment and  unhappiness  of  Russia. 

"  We  believe  that  the  final  measure  is  for 
your  Imperial  Highness  to  change  the  whole 
of  the  Imperial  politics  in  accordance  with 
the  express  desires  of  the  people,  their  re- 
organisation of  public  service,  the  election 
of  ministers  and  persons,  who  have  the 
confidence  of  the  people,  to  put  before  you  a 
list  of  persons  to  form  a  new  cabinet,  who 
will  be  able  to  govern  the  country  in  accord- 
ance with  the  desires  of  the  people. 

"  Every  hour  is  valuable.    Further  delay 


172       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

on  your  part  will  bring  about  most  lament- 
able results. 

"(Signed)  Your  Imperial  Highness'  most 
obedient  Subjects, 

"Members  of  the  Imperial  Council." 

Before  the  above  telegram  was  dispatched, 
it  had  been  submitted  to  the  members  of  the 
Revolutionary  Council  and  approved  by 
them,  for  it  must  be  understood  that  although 
the  Tzar  was  the  head  of  the  old  regime,  in 
fact  of  all  Russia,  he  was  not  personally 
unpopular,  but  only  considered  as  weak 
inasmuch  as  he  allowed  himself  to  be  con- 
trolled to  such  a  great  extent  by  the  German 
influence  at  Court.  This  influence  was  im- 
pressed upon  him  through  the  medium  of  the 
Tzarina,  who,  although  posing  as  a  great 
lover  of  family  life,  with  all  her  interests 
wrapped  up  in  the  welfare  of  the  Empire, 
was  nevertheless  the  principal  tool  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemies  of  Russia,  and  was 
well  known  to  the  Revolutionary  Party  for 
her  strong  pro-German  and  anti-Russian 
feelings.  It  was  her  influence  undermining 
the  strength  and  will  of  the  Tzar  himself. 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA  173 

that  brought  about  the  chaos  of  the  Revolu- 
tion with  the  subsequent  downfall  of  the 
dynasty  and  the  House  of  Romanoff. 

It  is  not  the  first  time  that  advice  such 
as  that  given  in  this  petition  from  the  Im- 
perial Council  had  been  tendered  to  the  Tzar 
by  true  and  patriotic  Russians.  There  is 
no  question  that  had  he  exercised  his  power 
to  the  full  extent  and  made  a  clean  sweep  of 
the  entire  Court,  and  replaced  his  old  advisers 
by  those  chosen  from  his  own  patriotic 
subjects,  he  would  have  been  the  most  popular 
man  in  the  whole  Russian  Empire.  What  is 
more,  the  House  of  Romanoff  would  have 
survived  for  many  years  to  come,  and  he 
would  have  gone  down  to  posterity  as  the 
Saviour  of  Russia. 

His  son,  the  Tzarevitch,  although  not 
strikingly  popular,  was,  like  his  father,  always 
looked  upon  with  reverence  by  the  Russians. 
The  numerous  rumours  that  have  from  time 
to  time  been  circulated  as  to  the  illness  of 
the  heir  to  the  throne  have  had  very  little 
foundation.*    Certainly  there  were  through- 

*  He  was  rapidly  growing  out  of  the  trouble  that  caused  so 
much  anxiety  when  he  was  a  young  child. 


174       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

out  the  Empire  certain  cliques  or  societies  of 
anarchists  and  nihiUsts  who  wished  to  assas- 
sinate the  Tzar  ;  but  such  societies  were  in  a 
great  minority,  for  the  Russian  has  always 
looked  up  to  the  Tzar  as  being  supreme. 
Even  the  Revolutionary  Party  was  quite 
prepared  to  support  the  Tzar  if  he  would  only 
show  that  he  had  strength  enough  to  govern 
the  people  justly  and  for  the  advancement  of 
the  nation. 

It  was  this  lack  of  will-power  that  the 
members  of  the  Revolutionary  Party  so  well 
.understood,  and  even  at  the  last  moment, 
when  the  people  had  actually  overthrown 
the  old  regime,  the  Tzar  still  had  his  last 
chance  ;  but  so  strongly  was  he  in  the  hands 
of  the  traitors  at  Court,  that  he  was  unable 
to  avail  himself  of  this  magnificent  though 
last  opportunity. 

There  were  reports  circulated  that  the 
previous  telegram  sent  by  Mr.  Rodjanko  to 
the  Tzar  was  withheld  from  him  by  his  ad- 
visers, and  also  rumours  of  the  terrible  advice 
which  these  advisers  gave  him,  but  these  are 
merely  rumours. 

The  Tzarina,  posing  as  a  devoted  mother 


THE  DAWN  OF  THE  NEW  ERA     175 

and  a  lover  of  the  Russians,  had  for  many 
years  skilfully  arranged  to  cover  her  own 
intrigues  and  throw  the  blame  on  to  the 
Dowager  Empress.  At  least  it  was  the  latter 
who  was  blamed  by  the  general  public  for 
the  majority  of  the  evil  results  of  the  Court 
intrigues. 


CHAPTER  IX 
RESTORING  ORDER 

ANY  times  the  name  of  Rasputin 
has  been  brought  before  the  pubHc 
in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Of  this 
odious  and  sham  priest  there  have  been 
many  contradictory  reports  and  rumours. 
Some  of  these  rumours,  however,  were  not 
without  foundation,  for  this  man,  although 
a  humble  Siberian  peasant,  certainly  had 
a  strange  and  terrible  power  of  forcing  his 
will  upon  persons,  more  especially  upon 
women. 

This  power  of  his  was  without  doubt 
hypnotic,  for  from  short  personal  acquaint- 
ance he  gave  me  the  impression  of  being  an 
ordinary  common  moujik  or  peasant,  but  for 
some  strange  and  wonderful  power  in  his 
eyes,  which  could  probably  hypnotise  a  weak 

or  untrained  mind  but  seemed  to  have  no 

176 


RESTORING  ORDER  177 

extraordinary  effects  upon  a  person  with  a 
fully  developed  brain  and  pronounced  dis- 
belief in  such  hypnotic  powers.  He  usually 
adopted  the  ordinary  peasant's  dress,  and  it 
certainly  was  most  appropriate,  for  garbed 
in  any  other  apparel  he  would  have  been  out 
of  place. 

Trading  on  this  strange  gift  of  his  and 
utilising  it  to  its  utmost  capacity,  this 
illiterate  and  ignorant  peasant  worked  his 
way  from  the  lowest  rung  in  life  to  become  a 
power  at  Court,  and  without  doubt  com- 
pletely, or  to  a  very  great  extent,  controlled 
the  actions  of  the  Tzarina.  Rumours  of  his 
attractive  powers  towards  the  feminine  sex 
are  not  without  foundation.  By  his  control 
of  the  mind  of  the  Tzarina  he  was  able  to 
influence  her  in  almost  any  direction  he  wished. 
•Knowing  this  the  enemies  of  the  Russian 
Court  sought  every  possible  means  to  obtain 
his  support,  and  although  he  occupied  no 
official  position,  he  was  able  to  dispose  of 
high  offices  of  State.  Thus  he  was  a  party  to 
the  betraying  of  Russia,  yet  in  many  instances, 
by  his  advice  as  to  appointments,  was  able  to 


N 


178       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

further  the  interests  of  the  Revolutionary 
Party.  Neither  side,  however,  have  ever 
claimed  him  as  their  adherent. 

From  time  to  time  reports  were  circulated 
of  his  assassination,  either  by  nihilists. 
Government  employees,  revolutionaries  or 
former  mistresses.  These,  however,  always 
proved  false,  although  his  life  was  certainly 
attempted  on  numerous  occasions,  chiefly  by 
the  last-named.  Finally  his  assassination,  or 
execution,  was  brought  about  by  members  of 
the  aristocracy,  and  his  death  was  un- 
doubtedly a  Russian  gain. 

My  only  encounter  with  Rasputin  was 
during  a  journey  from  the  Ural  Mountains  to 
Petrograd,  which  occupies  some  three  and  a 
half  days.  At  first  I  had  a  large  coupe  to 
myself,  but  a  short  time  after,  at  a  small 
station,  a  man  and  two  girls  entered  and  took 
their  places.  My  first  thought  was  that  there 
was  some  mistake  and  that  a  third-class 
passenger  had,  by  mistake,  entered  a  first- 
class  coupe,  as  although  the  two  girls  were 
well  but  plainly  dressed,  seeming  of  a  slightly 
better  class  than  the  man,  the  man  himself 


RESTORING  ORDER  179 

was  clothed  as  an  ordinary  moujik,  or  peasant. 
His  clothes  seemed  very  appropriate  to  the 
person  wearing  them,  for  his  general  coun- 
tenance was  that  of  the  ordinary  coarse  and 
ill-bred  peasant,  with  unkempt  hair  and  a 
long  beard,  on  which  were  traces  of  recent 
meals.  Below  the  beard  his  clothes  were  also 
stained  with  drippings  from  former  repasts. 
His  hands  and  face  would  certainly  have  been 
better  for  a  good  wash. 

We  had  not  gone  far  when  the  conductor 
of  the  train  called  me  into  the  corridor  and 
said  that  he  was  arranging  that  I  should  go 
into  another  coupe.  I  told  him  I  was  quite 
comfortable  where  I  was  and,  as  I  had 
booked  my  seat,  had  no  intention  of  re- 
moving. He  was  insistent,  but  I  was  obsti- 
nate and  returned  to  my  coupe.  My  fellow 
traveller  then  went  into  the  corridor  and  had 
a  heated  argument  with  the  conductor,  who 
then  again  approached  me  about  changing 
my  berth  ;  but  I  could  not  see  the  force  of 
his  argument  that  he  should  interfere  with 
my  comfort  for  the  sake  of  a  common-looking 
peasant.  The  "  peasant  "  returned  to  the 
coupe  and  proceeded  to  stare  at  me  with  his 


i8o       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

strange  eyes.  I  decided  that  he  was  trying 
to  will  or  hypnotise  me  into  falling  in  with 
his  wishes. 

At  the  next  stopping-place  I  left  the  train 
for  exercise  on  the  platform.  My  fellow- 
passenger  did  the  same,  and  I  noticed  that 
the  people  on  the  platform  showed  him  great 
respect,  and  as  he  passed  they  crossed  them- 
selves. I  enquired  of  one  of  the  porters, 
"  Who  is  that  man  ?  "  and  he  repHed,  "  Georgie 
Rasputin." 

This  was  a  revelation  to  me,  as,  although  I 
had  heard  a  good  deal  of  this  unkempt  and 
unconventional  man,  I  never  realised  that  he 
was  quite  so  ungroomed  as  I  found  him,  and 
I  was  able  to  appreciate  the  conductor's 
anxiety  to  get  me  out  of  the  coupe.  I  now 
determined  to  remain  where  I  was  so 
as  to  see  more  of  this  much-spoken-of 
individual. 

Upon  returning  to  the  coup^  I  closely 
inspected  him  and  was  certainly  struck  by 
the  expression  in  his  eyes,  which  were  deep 
and  piercing,  and  probably  it  was  in  these 
eyes  that  his  power  lay. 

Finding  that  his  efforts  to  have  the  coup6 


RESTORING  ORDER  i8i 

to  himself  were  unavailing,  I  was  left  in  peace 
for  the  remainder  of  the  journey.  Upon 
arriving  in  Petrograd  I  saw  one  of  the  Court 
automobiles  was  waiting  for  him. 

I  have  referred  to  Rasputin's  **  legitimate  " 
daughters,  for  rumour  has  it  that  he  has 
throughout  Russia  quite  a  large  family  of 
illegitimate  children,  for  this  man's  morals 
were  of  the  lowest  possible  order,  and  by  his 
hypnotic  influence,  and  possibly  owing  to 
some  other  charms,  he  was  able  to  influence 
almost  any  woman  that  he  wished  to  such  an 
extent  that  she  would  willingly  give  herself 
to  him  and  become  his  mistress  as  long  as  it 
suited  his  convenience.  There  have  been  for 
many  years  tales  of  his  doings  among  the 
ladies  of  the  Court  and  aristocracy  that 
are  so  degrading  that  they  do  not  permit 
pubHcation.  Even  peasant  girls  were  not 
beneath  this  man's  notice,  and  so  strongly 
were  many  women  infatuated  by  him  that, 
when  he  decided  to  cast  them  aside,  many  of 
them  goaded  by  jealousy  or  revenge  attempted 
his  life,  but  without  success. 

This  man,  convinced  of  his  power  at  Court, 
naturally    thought    himself    immune    from 


i82       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

criticism  and  on  one  occasion  was  insolent  to 
the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas,  who,  having  the 
utmost  contempt  for  such  a  creature,  gave 
him  a  sound  and  public  thrashing,  which  in- 
capacitated Rasputin  for  some  time.  After 
this  incident  it  was  only  natural  that  Rasputin 
made  every  possible  effort  to  revenge  himself 
on  the  Grand  Duke,  and  the  general  impression 
is  that  the  removal  of  the  Grand  Duke  from 
his  high  office  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Russian  Armies  was  brought  about  by  the 
influence  of  Rasputin. 

Ugly  stories  have  for  a  long  time  been  in 
circulation  about  Rasputin  and  the  ex- 
Tzarina.  A  letter  has  even  found  its  way  into 
•  the  newspapers  in  which  she  talks  about 
laying  her  head  upon  his  shoulder.  Upon  the 
birth  of  the  Tzarevitch,  she  is  stated  to  have 
said  that  a  boy  had  been  born  to  her  and  not 
another  girl  owing  to  the  divine  intervention 
of  her  beloved  father  Rasputin,  for  it  was 
always  as  "  father  "  that  she  addressed  him. 

After  Rasputin  had  been  shot,  his  body 
was  taken  in  a  motor-car  to  the  Kres- 
tofski  bridge,  spanning  one  of  the  sources 
of    the    Neva    Delta,    almost    opposite    the 


RESTORING  ORDER  183 

Imperial  Yacht  Club.  Here  the  corpse, 
which  had  been  heavily  weighted,  was 
thrown  over  the  bridge  ;  but  no  doubt  in 
falling  it  struck  one  of  the  buttresses,  which 
caused  the  weights  to  become  detached,  and 
also  accounted  for  the  bloodstains  found  on 
the  wooden  piles. 

Early  in  the  morning  a  local  policeman 
happened  to  notice  the  bloodstains,  con- 
cluded that  they  were  evidence  of  some 
crime  and  instituted  a  search  along  the  ice, 
for  at  this  time  the  Neva  was  frozen  over.  It 
should  be  explained  that  about  the  buttresses 
of  the  bridge  the  ice  is  always  kept  broken 
up  to  prevent  it  from  lifting  out  the  piles. 
Being  an  old  river-policeman  this  man  knew 
the  currents  of  the  river  and  where  a  body 
would  be  likely  to  drift.  His  conclusions 
were  correct,  and  some  quarter  of  a  mile 
below  the  bridge  he  noticed  a  body  beneath 
the  ice.  The  ice  was  cut  through  and  the 
body  taken  out. 

The  policeman  was  unaware  of  the  identity 
of  the  body  and  it  was  removed  to  the  local 
police-station.  The  police  officer,  however, 
immediately  recognised  who  it  was,  as  reports 


i84       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

had  been  circulated  that  Rasputin  was  miss- 
ing. The  body  was  removed  to  a  house  close 
by,  and  that  night  was  taken  away  in  a  large 
motor-car  to  some  unknown  destination.  The 
greatest  secrecy  was  maintained  as  to  the 
disposal  of  the  body.  It  was  given  out  to  the 
people  that  it  had  been  interred  in  his  native 
village.  Subsequent  events,  however,  have 
proved  that  it  was  really  buried  in  the 
grounds  of  the  Tzar's  Palace  of  Tzarskoe  Selo. 

Throughout  Tuesday  night,  March  13th 
(February  28th),  fighting  in  the  streets  con- 
tinued, differing  from  the  previous  night  only 
by  the  absence  of  the  ominous  glow  from  the 
burning  buildings,  which  were  now  com- 
pletely gutted.  The  morning  of  March  14th 
(March  ist)  found  the  streets  of  the  city 
crowded  with  the  mobs  still  employed  in 
fighting,  but  on  a  much  reduced  scale.  During 
the  night  the  Committee  at  Headquarters 
had  been  getting  its  organisation  to  work  for 
the  control  of  the  mobs,  and  already  special 
patrols  of  citizen  militia  were  being  formed 
with  a  view  to  restoring  order  and  disarming 
the  hooligans  and  criminals. 


RESTORING   ORDER  185 

Such  work  was  extremely  dangerous  to  the 
patrols,  whose  patriotic  feelings  overcame 
their  fears  and  caused  them  to  carry  out  their 
orders  in  the  most  praiseworthy  manner. 
Such  militia  were  given  power  of  life  and  death 
over  the  citizens,  and  thus  were  able  to  enforce 
their  orders  by  the  use  of  arms.  In  this  they 
did  not  hesitate  to  shoot  down  hooligans  who 
refused  to  obey  their  instructions.  In  fact, 
it  was  owing  to  the  splendid  work  of  these 
men  that  the  disorderly  mobs  were  rendered 
harmless. 

The  militia  were  formed  from  ordinary 
citizens,  who  volunteered  for  such  service. 
They  were  fully  armed  and  wore  a  badge  on 
the  left  arm.  In  addition  they  were  provided 
with  a  special  paper  of  authority,  signed  by 
the  Council  of  Delegates.  Their  most  difficult 
problem  was  to  prevent  the  many  armed 
motor-cars  from  rushing  needlessly  about 
the  streets.  This  they  did  by  lining  up  across 
the  roads  and  holding  up  the  cars  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet,  and  permitting  only 
cars  to  pass,  the  drivers  of  which  could  pro- 
duce an  ofhcial  document  to  prove  their  right 
to  proceed.    If  such  document  were  not  forth- 


i86       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

coming,  the  occupants  were  ordered  to  descend 
and  the  car  was  confiscated. 

In  some  few  cases  the  occupants  of  such 
cars,  especially  when  intoxicated,  refused  to 
obey  instructions,  with  the  result  that  a 
short  but  brisk  fight  ensued,  but  always  with 
the  defeat  of  the  rebels.  The  cars  that  were 
allowed  by  the  Provisional  Government  were 
those  carrying  patrols  to  any  point  in  the 
city  where  exceptional  trouble  was  experi- 
enced, and  also  those  conveying  arrested 
persons  to  places  of  confinement. 

To  assist  the  militia  in  their  arduous 
duties,  official  proclamations  were  posted  at 
different  points  throughout  the  city,  calling 
upon  the  people  to  render  every  possible 
assistance.  The  first  order  thus  issued  was 
as  follows  : — 

"  I  order  units  of  the  army  and  the  town 
mihtia  in  making  arrests  to  observe  the 
following  rules :  To  place  under  arrest  with- 
out delay  drunkards,  looters,  incendiaries, 
anyone  firing  into  the  air  or  interfering 
against  the  calm  and  order  of  the  city,  also 
anyone  whatsoever  not  having  special  powers 


RESTORING  ORDER  187 

from  the  Provisional  Parliament,  and  who 
refuses  to  obey  the  instructions  of  those 
responsible  for  the  guardianship  of  the 
city. 

"  All  units  committing  any  breach  of  the 
peace,  also  secret  police  and  ordinary  service 
of  the  old  police  force. 

"  All  persons  making  enquiries  or  searching 
in  private  apartments,  or  arresting  private 
persons,  and  especially  units  of  the  army  not 
having  special  passes  from  the  Provisional 
Parliament. 

"  Further,  all  arrests  under  the  above 
categories  to  be  at  once  escorted  to  the  nearest 
places  of  confinement,  a  list  of  which  have 
been  submitted  to  those  in  control.  At  all 
such  places  those  arrested  are  to  be  immedi- 
ately handed  over  to  the  person  in  command 
of  the  station. 

"  At  the  Tavrechski  Palace  only  dignitaries 
and  generals  are  to  be  brought,  in  the  event 
of  its  being  necessary  to  arrest  them. 

"  (Signed)  Member  of  the  Provisional  Com- 
mittee, 

"M.  Karavaloff." 


i88       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

A  note  to  the  above  was  added  that  all 
arrested  members  of  the  police,  secret  police, 
and  gendarmes  were  to  be  dispatched  to  the 
Commanding  Officers  at  the  riding-school  of 
Horse  Guards  Regiment. 

On  this  day  a  number  of  officers  who  had 
been  disarmed  and  released  were  invited  to 
attend  at  the  officers'  club  and  swear  allegi- 
ance to  the  new  regime.  These  invitations 
were  accepted  by  many,  who  were  then  given 
new  swords  and  revolvers  and  were  con- 
sidered to  be  again  in  an  official  capacity  as 
officers.  Posters  were  circulated  throughout 
the  city,  bearing  the  following  resolutions  of 
the  officers  of  the  Petrograd  Garrison,  at  a 
meeting  held  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Hall : — 

"  Officers  present  in  Petrograd  going  hand 
in  hand  with  the  people  resolved,  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  acting  Committee  of 
the  Imperial  Duma,  that  for  the  victorious 
conclusion  of  the  war  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  organise  the  people  as  quickly  as  possible 
and  work  hand  in  hand  with  them.  It  was 
resolved  without  dissent  to  accept  the  orders 
of   the   acting    Committee   of   the    Imperial 


RESTORING   ORDER  189 

Duma  until  such  time  as  a  representative  Par- 
liament was  formed. 

"  (Signed)  President  of  the  Meeting, 

"  Colonel  Gashchuk." 

In  the  morning  the  following  notice  was 
circulated  throughout  the  city: — 

"  Commanding  Officers.  All  Commanding 
Officers  are  to  take  up  their  positions  in 
readiness  to  fulfil  their  duties  by  one  o'clock 
to-day." 

While  these  troubles  were  taking  place  in 
the  city,  towns  and  villages  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  had  been  experiencing  their  own 
trouble.  This  is  well  illustrated  by  an  appeal 
from  the  Commanding  Officer  at  the  Tzar's 
Palace  at  Tzarskoe  Selo.  This  appeal  was 
telephoned  through  to  the  President  of  the 
Provisional  Committee  at  the  Imperial  Duma, 
and  he  was  asked  to  take  urgent  measures  for 
the  establishment  of  order  in  Tzarskoe  Selo 
and  especially  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Palaces,  as  serious  fighting  was  taking  place. 

Immediately  this  news  came  through,  the 
Provisional  Committee  requested  several  of 


190       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

its  members  to  go  to  Tzarskoe  Selo  to  investi- 
gate and  restore  order.  At  the  same  time  the 
Committee  issued  orders  that  all  units  in  the 
Tzarskoe  Garrison  should  remain  at  their  posts 
and  keep  order. 

On  this  day,  although  practically  all  the 
poUce  with  their  machine-guns  had  been  ac- 
counted for,  a  few  still  remained,  no  doubt 
hoping  for  relief.  With  the  defeat  of  these 
units  the  street  fighting  rapidly  subsided,  and 
shots  that  were  fired  were  chiefly  those  by 
intoxicated  members  of  the  mobs,  and  boys, 
who  still  took  a  keen  dehght  in  firing  their 
weapons  into  the  air,  which  brought  down 
upon  them  the  militia  patrols,  who  confiscated 
their  arms.  Thus,  in  the  incredibly  short  space 
of  five  days,  the  long-hoped-for  Revolution  had 
taken  place,  the  old  Government  had  been 
completely  overthrown,  and  a  Revolutionary 
Administration  formed. 

By  the  evening  there  were  comparatively 
few  hooligans  in  the  streets  bearing  arms, 
and  quite  a  large  proportion  of  the  freed 
criminals  had  been  retaken  and  secured,  re- 
ceiving however  better  treatment  than  had 
been  meted  out  to  them  under  the  old  regime. 


RESTORING  ORDER  191 

All  shops  and  places  of  business  had  been 
closed  down  for  the  past  week.  Provision 
shops  were  now  reopened,  with  the  result  that 
the  long  queues  of  patient  women  were  again 
seen  waiting  for  bread.  These  poor  people 
were  certainly  models  of  patience,  for  it  must 
be  remembered  that  for  days  they  had  been 
unable  to  buy  any  food  whatsoever,  and 
therefore  had  to  live  as  best  they  could  ;  but 
knowing  that  events  were  shaping  for  their 
own  salvation,  they  bore  their  trials  and 
troubles  bravely. 

The  efforts  of  the  Revolutionary  Party 
were  already  making  themselves  felt  on  the 
question  of  food  supplies  to  the  poor  and 
needy,  for  the  waiting  crowds  were  finally 
rewarded  with  a  supply  of  freshly-baked  and 
steaming  hot  black  bread.  It  was  a  pleasure 
to  see  with  what  radiant  countenances  these 
poor  people  left  the  shops  when  they  had  re- 
ceived their  supply.  In  many  cases  they 
could  not  wait  to  get  home,  but  commenced 
to  eat  the  bread  on  their  way. 

As  each  lucky  person  issued  with  her  supply 
she  received  a  cheer  from  those  still  waiting. 
The  dole  of  bread  they  all  received  was  in- 


192       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

adequate  to  fulfil  their  immediate  demands, 
still  not  a  murmur  of  discontent  was  heard, 
for  they  were  convinced  that  their  troubles 
were  now  practically  over,  and  that  in  future 
they  would  have  no  cause  for  further  starva- 
tion. In  many  cases  where  the  people  showed 
a  tendency  to  crowd  the  shops,  soldiers  volun- 
tarily undertook  to  keep  order.  Both  they 
and  the  crowds  were  in  the  best  of  humours 
and  were  continually  cracking  jokes  to- 
gether. 

Throughout  Wednesday  night  comparative 
quiet  reigned,  and  on  Thursday  morning, 
March  15th  (March  2nd),  although  spasmodic 
street  fighting  continued,  serious  disturbances 
were  practically  at  an  end.  The  streets 
throughout  the  city  were  thronged  with  large 
crowds,  but  of  a  much  better  class  than  those 
of  the  previous  days,  and  a  distinct  air  of 
goodwill  and  security  prevailed.  Everyone 
wore  a  piece  of  red  ribbon  and  from  all  build- 
ings red  flags  were  flying,  this  being  probably 
the  first  occasion  in  Russia  when  the  flags 
that  were  flying  really  indicated  the  feelings 
of  the  people.  The  demand  for  red  ribbon  and 
red  flags  more  than  exceeded  the  supply,  and 


RESTORING   ORDER  193 

therefore  the  flags  flying  from  the  various 
houses  generally  consisted  of  the  red  strip  cut 
from  the  national  flag,  which  is  white,  blue, 
and  red. 

It  was  astonishing  that  the  crowds  were 
able  to  stand  the  long  hours  which  they  spent 
in  the  streets  throughout  these  few  days,  for 
the  temperature  was  never  higher  than  45°  F. 
below  freezing. 

Although  general  quiet  seemed  to  reign  as 
one  studied  the  immediate  local  surroundings, 
the  city  as  a  whole  was  still  throbbing  with 
unrest,  and  it  was  this  that  the  citizen  miHtia 
was  trying  to  eliminate.  A  common  sight 
throughout  the  day  was  that  of  parties  of 
hooligans  being  rounded  up  and  disarmed  ; 
also  a  great  number  of  police  were  caught  in 
various  guises,  but  the  people  refrained  from 
molesting  them,  permitting  the  miHtia  to 
escort  them  away  to  prison.  All  the  machine- 
guns  on  the  various  roofs  and  churches  had 
now  been  accounted  for,  and  the  people  in  the 
streets  had  nothing  to  fear  in  this  direction. 
In  the  outskirts  of  the  city  a  few  of  the  poHce 
still  held  out,  but  were  induced  to  surrender 
or  were  summarily  shot.     That  the  people 


194       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

should  show  mercy  to  the  poHce,  who  had  so 
often  butchered  their  fellow-citizens,  is  per- 
haps the  greatest  testimony  to  the  peaceable 
nature  of  the  Russian. 

This  day  will  for  ever  be  remembered  by 
the  Russian  nation  as  that  upon  which  the 
Tzar  abdicated  the  Throne  of  the  Romanoffs. 
He  sent  the  following  Manifesto  of  Abdication 
to  the  Delegates  of  the  Duma  and  the  Pro- 
visional Council : — 

**  Manifesto  by  the  Tzar  Nikolai  II  abdicating 

the  throne, 

"  To  prevent  the  enslavement  of  our 
country  by  foreign  enemies  we  are  still  fight- 
ing a  War  which  has  already  been  proceeding 
for  three  years,  and  God  has  now  seen  fit  to 
visit  a  still  further  trial  on  our  sorely-tried 
Russia. 

"  The  indication  of  internal  unrest  among 
the  people  threatens  to  reflect  very  unfavour- 
ably on  the  War  to  protect  our  frontiers. 

"  The  fate  of  Russia,  the  honour  of  our 
heroic  army,  the  happiness  of  our  people  and 
the  whole  future  of  our  Fatherland  makes  final 
victory  vital  to  us. 


RESTORING  ORDER  195 

"  Our  cruel  enemy  is  exerting  his  final 
efforts  against  us  and  already  the  hour  draws 
near  when,  thanks  to  our  army  in  company 
with  our  Allies,  the  enemy  will  be  brought  to 
his  knees. 

"  At  this  decisive  moment  of  the  fortunes 
of  Russia,  we  find  it  our  bounden  duty  to  take 
such  steps  as  will  enable  our  people  to  attain 
to  that  unity  of  purpose  and  power  indispen- 
sable for  the  earliest  possible  conquest  of  the 
enemy,  and  in  accordance  with  the  advice  of 
the  Imperial  Duma  we  abdicate  from  the 
throne  of  Russia  and  renounce  the  high 
powers  attached  to  the  office. 

"  Not  wishing  to  part  with  our  beloved 
son,  we  pass  the  succession  in  favour  of  our 
Brother,  His  Highness  Prince  Michael  Alex- 
androvitch,  with  our  blessing  on  his  accession 
to  the  throne  of  Russia. 

"  We  command  our  Brother  to  govern  the 
country  in  strict  accordance  with  the  wishes 
of  the  Ministers  to  be  chosen  by  the  people 
and  that  he  swear  this  oath  for  the  sake  of 
our  dearly-loved  Fatherland. 

"  We  command  all  true  sons  of  the  Father- 
land to  fulfil  their  sacred  duty,  obedience  to 


196        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

him  as  Tzar  in  this  dire  moment  in  the 
troubles  of  the  people,  and  to  help  him,  in 
company  with  the  people's  representatives, 
to  guide  the  Russian  Empire  to  victory,  happi- 
ness and  success. 

"  So  may  God  help  Russia. 

"  (Signed)  Nikolai. 

"  Peskof,  15th  March  (2nd  March),  15  hours, 

3  minutes,  1917. 
"  (Countersigned)    Minister   of   the    Imperial 

Court, 
"  General  Adjutant,  Count  Friedricks." 

Directly^  this  manifesto  was  received  its 
text  was  printed  and  distributed  in  large 
numbers  throughout  the  capital.  It  was 
received  with  great  acclamations  by  the 
people. 

The  Delegates  of  the  Duma  and  the  Pro- 
visional Government  placed  the  matter  before 
Prince  Michael,  who  after  short  consideration 
decided  to  refuse  the  offer  of  this  high  office 
and  handed  his  refusal  to  the  Provisional 
Government.  The  text  of  the  refusal  was  as 
follows  : — 


RESTORING   ORDER  197 

"  A  difficult  task  has  been  laid  on  me  by 
the  wish  of  my  Brother  abdicating  the  Im- 
perial Throne  in  my  favour  during  the  period 
of  an  unprecedented  war  and  unrest  among 
the  people. 

"  In  common  with  the  whole  nation  my 
wish  above  all  others — the  happiness  of 
Russia — I  have  unalterably  decided  that  I 
will  only  accept  the  high  powers  offered  me 
in  the  event  of  its  being  the  wish  of  the  whole 
people,  who  also  choose  with  undivided  voice 
through  their  representatives  in  the  Repre- 
sentative Parliament,  decide  the  style  of 
Government  and  the  new  laws  of  the  Russian 
Em.pire. 

"  Therefore  with  God's  help  I  ask  all 
Citizens  to  obey  the  Provisional  Government 
established  by  the  efforts  of  the  Imperial 
Duma,  which  is  endowed  with  unlimited 
powers,  until  that  moment  in  which  in  the 
shortest  period,  on  the  basis  of  unfettered 
and  free  election  by  the  people,  is  elected  a 
House  of  Representatives  and  by  their  choice 
the  form  of  Government  to  show  the  will  of 
the  people. 

"  (Signed)  Michael." 


igS       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

The  News-sheets  of  this  day  informed  the 
people  that  the  fortress  of  Schlusselburg  had 
been  taken  by  the  Revolutionary  arms  and 
that  all  political  prisoners  had  been  released. 
It  also  gave  news  of  the  arrest  of  various 
Ministers  of  the  old  regime,  among  them 
being  Trepof,  Prince  Shakofckie,  Maklakof, 
Balk,  Stiirmer,  Kurlof,  Rein,  Shahmatof, 
Komisarot,  Borisof ,  Admiral  Ginse  and  others. 
Several  notices  were  also  in  the  paper,  one 
being  as  follows  : — 

"  On  14th  March  (ist  March)  among  the 
people  in  the  Petrograd  Garrison  there  are 
rumours  that  officers  of  certain  regiments 
have  attempted  to  deprive  the  men  of  their 
arms.  These  rumours  have  been  confirmed 
in  two  regiments.  As  President  of  the  War 
Commission  of  the  Provisional  Committee  of 
the  Imperial  Duma,  I  give  notice  that  in  the 
event  of  any  officers  attempting  the  same 
procedure  the  offender  shall  be  fired  upon  at 
once. 

"  (Signed)  Member  of  the  Imperial  Duma, 

"  B.  Engelhart." 


RESTORING   ORDER  199 

During  the  Meeting  of  the  Soldiers  and 
Labour  Deputies  the  following  were  the  most 
important  events  discussed  : — 

(i)  Relations  between  the  soldiers  and  the 
returning  officers. 

(2)  The  issue  of  fire-arms. 

(3)  The  competency  of  the  War  Commis- 
sion. 

At  this  Meeting  Citizen  Maxin  suggested  : — 

(i)  To  suggest  at  once  to  their  Commander 
that  the  soldiers  issue  fire-arms  to  no  one. 

(2)  Request  soldiers  to  elect  a  Deputy 
from  every  Regiment. 

(3)  Request  soldiers  to  make  their  political 
demands  only  through  the  Soldiers'  and 
Labour  Deputies. 

(4)  That  the  soldiers  be  requested  to  obey 
all  officers  at  the  front,  and  to  treat  all 
officers  not  at  the  front  as  fellow  citizens. 

On  this  day  several  editions  of  the  News- 
sheet  were  issued  giving  general  particulars 
to  the  public.  The  following  extracts  may 
be  of  interest  : — 


200       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

**  Fate  of  the  Tzar  :  It  was  reported  by 
the  Soldiers'  and  Labour  Delegates  that  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  town  of  Dno  the 
Imperial  train  was  stopped  and  the  station 
was  occupied  by  members  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary Army  and  a  guard  placed  to  prevent 
the  train  m.oving.  The  question  as  to 
whether  Nikolai  should  be  arrested  was  dis- 
cussed. 

"  Further  reports  state  that  Nikolai  has 
been  sent  to  Peskof. 

*'  The  Empress,  who  is  at  Tzarskoe  SeW,  is 
continually  in  hysterics.  The  heir  has  a 
temperature  of  30°  R." 

It  is  well  to  note  here  that  the  dethroned 
Tzar  was  now  simply  termed  Nikolai,  his 
imperial  and  royal  titles  being  altogether 
disregarded.  It  can  be  quite  understood 
why  the  Tzarina  should  be  in  hysterics,  as  she 
could  not  have  been  sure  that  her  own  life 
was  worth  a  moment's  purchase.  At  the 
time  of  these  troubles  the  young  Tzarevitch 
was  suffering  from  an  attack  of  measles, 
which  accounts  for  his  high  temperature. 

The  above  report  regarding  the  Tzar  was 


RESTORING  ORDER  201 

later  proved  to  be  untrue,  as  he  was  during 
the  troubles  in  the  city  residing  at  Peskof, 
a  town  situated  between  Petrograd  and 
Riga. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  an  Order 
issued  by  the  Soldiers'  and  Labour  Deputies 
on  March  15th  (March  2nd)  : — 

(i)  Election  of  Representatives  from  both 
Army  and  Navy. 

(2)  All  units  to  choose  a  Representative 
who  must  report  with  written  authority  to 
the  Imperial  Duma. 

(3)  All  political  questions  to  be  submitted 
only  through  the  Soldiers'  and  Labour 
Deputies, 

(4)  All  orders  of  the  War  Committee  to  be 
executed,  except  those  not  agreed  to  by  the 
Soldiers'  and  Labour  Committees. 

(5)  All  fire-arms,  armoured-cars,  etc.,  to 
be  at  the  disposal  of  Battalion  Committees, 
and  under  no  circumstances  whatsoever  are 
they  to  be  delivered  to  officers  even  when  so 
commanded. 

(6)  All  soldiers  to  do  their  utmost  to  pre- 
serve discipline. 


202        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

(7)  All  officers'  titles  to  be  dropped  ;  Mr. 
General,  Mr.  Colonel,  etc.,  only  to  be  used. 

(8)  Soldiers  not  to  be  addressed  as  thou, 
nor  are  they  to  be  spoken  to  roughly  or  un- 
civilly. 

The  above  gave  some  idea  of  the  distrust 
of  the  people  for  the  officers,  and  the  last 
item  clearly  indicated  that  discipline  did  not 
exist.  Officers  had  hitherto  always  addressed 
their  soldiers  in  the  familiar  thou  instead 
of  you,  this  familiar  expression  being  only 
employed  to  inferiors,  or  when  addressing 
near  relatives  and  intimates. 

Another  item  from  the  News-sheet  of  March 
15th  (March  2nd)  relating  to  the  indiscrimin- 
ate use  of  fire-arms  is  as  follows  : — 

"  REGISTRATON  OF  FIRE-ARMS. 

"  On  the  first  day  of  our  great  Revolution 
many  rifles  and  cartridges  were  obtained  or 
distributed.  Many  of  these,  however,  fell 
into  the  wrong  hands,  and  in  a  great  number 
of  cases  hooligans,  criminals  and  other  shady 
characters  of  the  old  regime  obtained  pos- 
session.    This  is   a   Revolution   against   the 


RESTORING   ORDER  203 

old    regime,    therefore    an    exact    inventory 
must  be  obtained  of  all  arms. 

"  All  good  citizens  will  assist  the  new 
authorities  to  the  utmost  of  their  power  to 
achieve  this." 

A  special  Declaration  dated  March  15th 
(March  2nd)  was  issued  to  the  people,  which 
was  headed  : — 

"  REVERSION  TO  THE  PEOPLE. 

*'  Citizens,  the  great  deed  is  accomplished, 
the  old  regime  which  was  ruining  Russia  is 
no  more. 

"  The  Committee  of  the  Imperial  Duma 
and  the  Council  of  Soldiers'  and  Labour 
Deputies  are  establishing  order  in  the  service 
of  the  country. 

"  The  most  important  work  at  the  present 
moment  is  the  provisioning  of  the  army  and 
the  people.  A  Committee  of  Supplies  has 
been  appointed  and  will  take  the  matter  in 
hand.  There  is,  however,  very  little  reserve, 
and  supplies  must  be  increased  without 
further  delay. 

"  Citizens  of  Russia,  Farmers,  Landowners, 


204       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Merchants  and  Railwaymen,  assist  the  Father- 
land. 

"  We  must  feed  the  army  and  the  people. 
The  enemy  is  not  yet  beaten.  All  as  one  man 
must  give  a  hand  to  help  in  this  terrible  day. 
Let  none  shrink  from  the  fulfilment  of  his 
duty  as  a  citizen.  Let  every  man's  con- 
science permit  him  to  give.  Give  bread 
quickly  to  those  in  authority,  give  every- 
thing you  can.  Carry  it  to  the  railroads  and 
piers  and  quickly  load  and  send  the  goods 
to  their  destinations. 

"  The  Fatherland  awaits  the  help  of  all. 
Give  bread  to  her  fighters  and  workers.  Time 
waits  not.  Every  hour  is  precious.  Do  not 
delay. 

"  Citizens,  come  to  the  help  of  your 
country  with  bread  and  labour  !  " 

Thus  the  most  undeveloped  of  the  European 
Great  Powers  had  suddenly  found  itself  in  the 
front  ranks  of  progress.  Fully  to  appreciate 
the  change  a  knowledge  of  Russian  character 
is  necessary. 

The  Russians,  more  especially  of  the  lower 
or  peasant  class,   are   very  conservative   in 


RESTORING  ORDER  205 

their  ideas  of  life,  and  never  look  with  favour 
upon  modern  appliances  wherewith  to  in- 
crease their  comfort  and  ease  their  labours. 
They  invariably  look  upon  machinery  in  any 
form  as  the  instruments  of  the  devil. 

Their  implements  for  agriculture  and  handi- 
craft are  of  the  most  simple  possible  nature, 
in  fact  nothing  more  than  duplicates  of  those 
used  by  their  forefathers  centuries  ago.  If 
you  were  to  point  out  to  a  Russian  that  he 
could  minimise  his  labours  by  employing 
modern  machinery,  or  even  ordinary  simple 
modern  tools,  he  Vv^ould  invariably  reply  : 
"  My  father  and  grandfather  used  such  instru- 
ments as  I  am  using  and  they  served  their 
purpose  and  therefore  serve  mine."  The 
Russian  village  carpenter  invariably  has  but 
one  instrument,  a  broad  axe.  With  this  and 
no  other  tools  he  will  build  himself  a  house 
and  make  all  its  furniture.  So  competent 
are  they  in  the  use  of  this  simple  tool  that 
their  finished  work  has  every  appearance  of 
having  been  made  by  modern  instruments. 
They  take,  great  pride  in  their  axe,  the  edge 
of  which  is  as  keen  as  that  of  a  razor. 

In  some  districts  the  ploughing  is  done  by 


2o6  RUSSIA  IN  REVOLUTION 
the  trunk  of  a  tree,  a  projecting  root  acting 
as  the  ploughshare.  It  is  interesting  to 
see,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  some  of  the 
gigantic  cornfields,  a  peasant  with  a  small 
holding  of  his  own  ploughing  his  fields  by 
this  simple  and  antiquated  method,  while 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  a  large 
steam  tractor  will  be  at  work  pulling  a 
number  of  most  up-to-date  ploughs. 

Their  carts  are  invariably  springless  and 
are  of  the  most  simple  possible  construction. 
Owing  to  the  extreme  badness  of  what  they 
call  roads,  their  carts  are  provided  with  extra 
long  axles  which  allow  several  inches  of  side 
play  for  the  v/heels.  The  reason  for  this  is 
not  obvious  at  first,  but  when  one  sees  the 
nature  of  the  roads  it  is  easily  apparent,  for 
an  ordinary  cart  with  no  play  on  the  wheel 
axles  would  very  soon  be  stuck  in  the  mud 
or  in  the  ruts  in  the  road.  It  is  for  this 
reason  this  large  axle  play  is  allowed,  which 
permits  of  the  wheels  shearing  their  way  out 
of  trouble.  To  us  these  carts  would  appear 
ridiculously  small,  but  larger  ones  would  be 
useless  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  roads 
and  also  to  the  small  size  of  the  horses  com- 


RESTORING   ORDER  207 

pared  to  those  in  this  country.  On  the  Rus- 
sian harness  there  are  no  buckles  whatsoever, 
all  fastenings  being  made  with  thongs  of 
leather.  The  reason  for  the  strange  hoop, 
always  associated  with  the  Russian  cart  or 
carriage,  is  to  distribute  more  evenly  on  the 
horses'  shoulders  the  strain  of  the  load. 
Apart  from  its  utility  it  makes  a  picturesque 
setting. 

Now  a  new  era  has  dawned,  and  the  Russian 
peasant  can  no  longer  regard  as  sufficient  an 
obsolete  thing  because  it  served  his  fathers 
faithfully.    He  has  left  his  fathers  far  behind. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   REPUBLICAN   GOVERNMENT 

ONE  of  the  first  steps  taken  by  the 
Revolutionary  Committee  directly  it 
had  overthrown  the  Government, 
was  to  take  charge  of  the  public  water, 
lighting,  telephone  and  telegraph  systems. 
The  Committee  knew  the  importance  of 
keeping  the  city  supplied  and  communica- 
tion intact.  This  was  successfully  accom- 
plished, and  throughout  the  whole  of  the  five 
days  of  fighting  and  subsequently,  all  public 
services  were  in  operation,  the  telephone 
girls  remaining  at  their  posts  during  the 
whole  of  the  trouble.  If  one  could  not  get 
connected  with  a  certain  number  the  operator 
would  politely  inform  one  that  the  instru- 
ment was  out  of  order.  This  usually  meant 
that  a  bullet  had  severed  the  wire.     Also 

throughout  these  days  of  strife  the   postal 

208 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    209 

service  was  in  operation  ;  letters,  telegrams, 
and  even  cablegrams,  being  delivered  as 
regularly  as  the  exceptional  circumstances 
would  permit,  and  it  was  only  on  Monday, 
the  day  of  the  heaviest  fighting,  that  the 
telegraph  offices  were  closed.* 

During  these  days  all  of  the  Ministers  of 
the  old  regime  had  been  arrested  and  placed 
in  confinement,  and  it  was  announced  by 
the  Government  that  they  would  be  given  a 
public  trial  by  the  people. 

Later  on  this  day,  March  2nd  (March  15th), 
isolated  cases  of  shooting  broke  out  afresh. 
Directly  this  information  reached  the  Pro- 
visional Committee  they  issued  the  following 
notice  throughout  the  city  : — 

"  The  bloody  Government  is  still  unwilling 
to  recognise  the  victory  of  the  people.  Many 
of  their  parasites,  provocators,  police,  gen- 
darmes and  spies  have  hidden  themselves  on 
the  roofs  of  houses,  in  attics,  and  other  holes 
and  corners,  and  are  still  firing  on  the  people. 
This  is  a  forlorn  hope,  however,  and  they  will 

*  I   myself  sent  and   received  business  cables  during  the 
hottest  of  the  fighting. 
P 


210       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

achieve  nothing.  The  Revolutionary  Army 
is  supreme  and  can  easily  cope  with  the  dying 
activities  of  this  ugly  monster.  Our  com- 
rades will  easily  and  quickly  rid  us  of  these 
enemies  of  the  people.  Citizens,  their  exter- 
mination is  in  your  hands." 

The  night  of  Thursday  was  comparatively 
calm  and  fewer  people  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
streets  late  at  night,  and  in  fact  the  general 
situation  was  rapidly  resuming  the  normal. 
Very  occasional  and  minor  fights  took  place, 
but  these  were  hardly  noticed. 

On  the  morning  of  Friday,  March  3rd 
(March  i6th),  thousands  again  thronged  the 
streets.  They  were  all  good-tempered  and 
did  their  utmost  to  assist  the  Militia  in  restor- 
ing order.  To  give  the  people  further  con- 
fidence, the  new  Government  had  issued 
instructions  that  all  banks  were  to  be  opened 
for  business  from  11  a.m.  to  i  p.m.,  and  that 
shops  were  to  open.  This  was  a  great  stride 
in  composing  the  feelings  of  the  people,  who 
were  keen  to  start  their  business  again  under 
the  new  order  of  things.  A  notice  was  issued 
in  circular  form  throughout   the   city   with 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    211 

regard  to  the  shops.     It  was  addressed  to 
shopkeepers  and  read  : — 

"  There  are  many  shops  still  closed.  They 
must  be  opened  at  once.  Our  victorious 
army  and  the  people  must  have  the  neces- 
saries of  life.  Under  the  protection  of  army 
patrols  and  our  organised  Citizen  Militia  shops 
need  fear  no  danger.  In  the  daytime  shops 
may  carry  on  their  trade  in  all  calm,  but  at 
night  they  should  be  well  guarded.  Start 
at  once." 

The  people  in  the  streets  were  all  eagerly 
discussing  the  new  Government. 

On  March  15  (March  2nd),  1915,  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Imperial  Duma 
gave  notice,  that  the  following  members  had 
been  appointed  to  form  the  new  Govern- 
ment : — 

(i)  Prince  G.  E.  Lvoff,  President  of  the 
Council  of  Ministers  and  Minister  of  the 
Interior.  (Formerly  member  of  the  first 
Duma,  President  of  the  Chief  Committee  of 
the  District  Councils  of  all  Russia.) 


212       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

(2)  P.  N.  Miliukoff,  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs.  (Formerly  member  of  the  Imiperial 
Duma  for  Petrograd.) 

(3)  A.  F.  Karensky,  .Minister  of  Justice. 
(Formerly  member  of  the  Imperial  Duma  for 
the  Government  of  Saratof.) 

(4)  N.  V.  Nekrasoff,  Minister  of  Ways  and 
Communications.  (Formerly  assistant  to  the 
President  of  the  Duma.) 

(5)  A.  E.  Konovaloff,  Minister  of  Trade  and 
Industry.  (Formerly  assistant  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Central  War  Supplies  Committee 
and  member  of  the  Imperial  Duma  for  the 
Government  of  Kostroma.) 

(6)  Professor  A.  A.  Manueloff,  Minister  of 
Education.  (Late  member  of  the  Imperial 
Duma  and  Rector  of  Moscow  University.) 

(7)  A.  E.  Guchkoff,  Minister  of  War,  and 
Provisional  Minister  of  Marine.  (Formerly 
of  the  Imperial  Duma  and  President  of  the 
Committee  on  War  Supplies.) 

(8)  A.  E.  Schengareff,  Minister  of  Agricul- 
ture. (Formerly  member  of  the  Imperial 
Duma  for  the  City  of  Petrograd.) 


I'.    N.    Mil  IIKOIK 
MlMSri:K    Ol-    KdKKlGN    AIIAIKS    IN     IHK    KKPriU.ICAN     MIMSIKV 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    213 

(9)  M.  E.  Tereschtenko,  Minister  of  Finance. 

(10)  E.  V.  Godneff,  Imperial  Controller. 
(Formerly  member  of  the  Imperial  Duma  for 
Kazan  Government.) 

(11)  V.  N.  Lvoff,  Attorney-General  for 
the  Holy  Synod.  (Formerly  member  of 
the  Imperial  Duma  for  the  Government  of 
Samara.) 

(12)  T.  E.  Rodicheff,  Minister  of  Finnish 
Affairs.  (Formerly  member  of  the  Imperial 
Duma  for  the  City  of  Petrograd  ) 

The  election  of  the  above  was  made  in  full 
agreement  with  the  members  of  the  Soldiers' 
and  Workmen's  Delegates. 

Together  with  the  issue  of  the  names  of  the 
new  Government,  a  special  paper  was  issued 
to  give  the  people  an  idea  as  to  the  pro- 
gramme of  the  Government.  The  text  was 
as  follows  : — 

"  The  election  of  the  new  Government  was 
made  in  agreement  with  the  members  of  the 
Imperial  Duma  and  the  Soldiers'  and  Labour 
Deputies. 


214       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

'*  Citizens,    the    Government    will    occupy 
itself  at  once  with  the  following  questions  : — 

"  (i)  Full  and  immediate  amnesty  to  all 
political  and  religious  prisoners,  as  well  as 
to  those  arrested  for  terrorism  against  the 
old  Government. 

"  (2)  Free  speech,  Press  and  Clubs,  So- 
cieties, etc.,  etc.,  and  political  freedom 
for  those  serving  in  the  army  in  so  far  as 
it  does  not  disagree  with  necessary  military 
and  technical  conditions. 

"  (3)  Abolition  of  all  restrictions  on 
Societies,  Creeds  and  Nationalities. 

"  (4)  Immediate  establishment  of  means 
for  universal  and  secret  voting  on  the 
question  of  the  form  of  Government  and 
the  Constitution. 

'*  (5)  Change  of  Police  to  popular  Militia, 
with  the  election  of  a  Chief,  each  district 
to  have  charge  of  its  own  arrangements. 

"  (6)  Choice  of  Local  Election  Committee 
to  ensure  proper  and  secret  voting. 

"  (7)  The  army  in  Pctrograd  taking 
part  in  the  Revolution  shall  not  be  dis- 
armed and  not  sent  from  Petrograd. 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    215 

"  (8)  Wliilc  on  duty  the  strictest  disci- 
pline should  be  observed,  but  when  off 
duty  soldiers  shall  have  the  same  rights 
and  freedom  as  all  officers. 

"  The  Provisional  Government  deems  it 
its  duty  herewith  to  declare  that  they  will 
not  take  advantage  of  the  War  to  delay  its 
reforms  and  will  bring  them  into  operation  as 
soon  as  possible. 

"  (Signed)  President  of  the  Duma, 

"RODJANKO." 

The  general  organisation  of  the  Citizen 
Militia  was  soon  well  in  hand,  and  a  number 
of  large  restaurants  and  cinema  halls  were 
taken  over  and  converted  into  central  feeding 
points  for  the  soldiers,  the  local  residents 
being  invited  to  contribute  food,  tea,  tobacco, 
etc.  Large  supplies  were  immediately  forth- 
coming, the  people  being  willing  to  give 
almost  everything  they  had.  It  was  very 
noticeable  that  the  better  classes  were 
the  donors  of  these  supplies,  as  it  was  they 
who  had  been  storing  up  as  much  food  as 
they    possibl}^    could    against    eventualities. 


2i6       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

This  storage  of  food  supplies  had  helped  the 
old  regime  in  their  plan  to  reduce  the  food- 
stuffs for  the  needy  workpeople  to  an  absolute 
minimum.  Although  the  police  had  cornered 
as  much  of  the  food  as  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on,  the  upper  classes  had  been  quite 
unwittingly  furthering  their  purpose. 

Now  that  good  times  were  thought  to  be 
at  hand,  these  people  gave  up  their  hoarded 
food  to  the  soldiers.  This  is  a  good  lesson  to 
any  nation  to  refrain  from  hoarding  the 
necessaries,  for  while  there  is  sufftcient  to 
supply  the  immediate  needs  of  everyone,  in 
certain  circumstances  there  is  insufficient  to 
fulfil  the  supply  of  the  day  and  also  allow 
for  selfish  and  unnecessary  hoarding.  These 
numerous  feeding  points  for  the  soldiers  were 
soon  in  working  order,  and  free  meals  were 
given  to  any  soldiers  for  the  asking.  In 
some  districts  such  points  were  utilised  for 
the  poorer  classes. 

The  numerous  stores  of  flour,  sugar,  and 
other  real  necessaries,  which  the  police  had 
hidden  away,  were  taken  control  of  by  the 
Citizen  Militia  and  distributed  to  the  various 
shops.      The    flour   was   distributed   to   the 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    217 

bakeries,  who  were  asked  to  bake  bread  im- 
mediately for  the  people. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  prices  in  the 
shops  of  general  food-stuffs  had  risen  beyond 
famine  prices.  This  was  pointed  out  to  the 
Provisional  Committee,  who  immediately 
issued  a  detailed  schedule,  which  brought 
such  prices  down  almost  to  the  pre-war 
figures.  This  appeared  to  be  a  splendid 
idea,  and  in  fact  worked  very  well  until 
the  shopkeepers  had  sold  the  stocks  which 
they  had  in  the  shops.  When  these  stocks 
had  been  disposed  of  they  had  declared  they 
could  sell  no  more,  as  the  new  prices  meant 
a  loss  for  them,  they  being  compelled  to  buy 
from  the  profiteers  at  still  higher  prices  than 
those  fixed  as  the  maximum. 

Quite  naturally  the  people  took  advantage 
of  the  fixed  low  prices  to  buy  up  as  much 
food  as  they  could,  but  when  no  more  was 
forthcoming,  the  shops  closed.  As  food  was 
still  necessary  for  the  people,  those  with 
sufficient  money  obtained  provisions  from 
the  shopkeepers  privately  by  paying  a  price 
higher  than  that  of  the  tariff.  Such  condi- 
tions naturally  could  not   continue,   so  the 


2i8       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

shops  opened  again,  after  magically  finding 
fresh  supplies,  and  were  permitted  to  charge 
slightly  higher  prices,  but  not  those  ruling 
prior  to  the  Revolution. 

The  following  is  a  comparison  of  food 
prices  ruling  before  the  war,  before  the 
Revolution,  and  those  given  by  tariff  by  the 
Revolutionary  Committee  : — 


Pre- War. 

Pre-Revo!ution. 

New  Tariff. 

Rye  Bread  (per 

lb.)   . 

3 

copecks. 

18  copecks. 

7  copecks. 

Meat  (best  qual 

ity)    . 

3;> 

Roubles  1.50. 

t.8 

Pork  . 

.                  , 

33 

2. 

Roubles  1.20. 

Table  Butter 

8o 

M         3-8o 

,,         1.90. 

Cookingf  Butter  (lb.). 

40 

360. 

1.80 

Eopg:s(io)  . 

AO 

2- 

'•50 

Milk  . 

12 

50  copecks. 

25  copecks 

Fowls 

.    R. 

1.20 

(each). 

Roubles  2  (lb.). 

90        ,,      (lb.) 

Geese 

.     R. 

4 

(each). 

„   1. 80 (lb.). 

70        „      (lb.) 

Cheese  (lb). 

80 

copecks. 

„         3-8-^. 

Roubles  I  40. 

Sugar 

. 

16 

M 

Unobtainable. 

29  copecks.* 

On  Saturday,  March  17th  (March  4th), 
1917,  general  conditions  throughout  the  city 
were  almost  normal  again.  During  the  night 
of  Friday  the  temperature  had  dropped  con- 
siderably, and  Saturday  morning  dawned 
with  a  fierce  blizzard  raging.  This  was  the 
first  bad  weather  experienced  throughout  the 
days  occupied  by  the  Revolution.     It  may 

*  A  rouble  is  worth  about  two  shillings  of  English  money. 
There  are  a  hundred  copecks  in  a  rouble. 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    219 

safely  be  said  that  this  bhzzard  did  more  to 
restore  order  than  the  work  of  the  Citizen 
Mihtia,  for  so  fiercely  did  it  rage  that  the 
streets  everywhere  were  practically  deserted. 
This  allowed  the  Militia  and  the  military 
patrols  time  for  making  further  arrangements 
for  controlling  the  movements  of  the  people. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  afternoon  the 
weather  changed  to  beautiful  sunshine,  al- 
though the  temperature  remained  at  40°  F 
below  freezing.  With  the  breaking  up  of 
the  bhzzard  and  the  appearance  of  the 
sun,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  people 
flocked  into  the  streets,  singing  and  cheering. 
They  found,  however,  that  the  Militia  had 
already  made  their  preparations,  and  that 
they  were  not  allowed  quite  so  much  freedom 
as  they  had  enjoyed  during  the  previous  few 
days.  However,  the  people  did  their  utmost 
to  assist  the  Militia  in  their  task. 

Although  the  Winter  Palace  had  been 
occupied  by  the  Revolutionaries,  the  build- 
ing itself  did  not  sustain  the  slightest  damage, 
and  on  the  Saturday  for  the  first  time  a 
blood-red  flag  is  waving  upon  the  Palace, 
also    all    the    emblems    of    royalty    on    the 


220       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

magnificent  wrought -iron  railings  surround- 
ing the  fence  were  covered  with  red  cloth. 
This  day  also  the  first  newspapers  were  on 
sale.  Hitherto  the  Revolutionary  Com- 
mittee had  issued  its  News-sheets  to  the 
public  gratis,  nevertheless  there  was  a  tre- 
mendous demand  for  these  newspapers,  and 
the  first  edition  commenced  with  an  appeal 
to  the  soldiers,  the  text  of  which  is  as 
follows  : — 

*'  Comrades,  soldiers.  Ancient  Russia  exists 
no  more — there  is  a  new,  free,  Revolutionary 
Russia  ;  the  old  powers  are,  however,  not 
dead,  the 3^  have  been  quashed  only  in  a 
negligibly  small  part  of  the  fabric,  and  the 
work  of  establishing  new  powers  is  not  yet 
finished  ;  it  may  even  be  said  that  we  have 
before  us  the  most  difficult  part  of  our 
labours,  to  guard  and  strengthen  our  hard- 
won  freedom.  Comrades,  do  not  forget  the 
work  ahead.  We  will  keep  and  strengthen 
that  which  we  have  fought  for.  The  old 
Monarchial  power  has  gone  only  because  we 
have  concentrated  our  powers,  and  we  must 
not  now  divide  them,  but  we  must  remember 


»»# 


^  ^Wt^' 


llli;     III  I/Z\KI>     IIIAI     PROBABLY    SAVED    I'KTKOCKAI)    l-KOM     A 
KEIC.X    OI-    TKKKOR 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    221 

that  all  misunderstandings  dissipate  our 
power,  and  facilitate  the  old  powers  who  are 
already  organising  against  our  freedom  and 
to  fight  against  us.  The  old  regime  is  using 
every  means  in  its  power  to  cause  dissension 
in  our  ranks,  they  will  stop  at  nothing.  Be 
on  your  guard.  At  present  they  are  en- 
deavouring to  cause  trouble  between  you 
and  the  officers  who  have  sided  with  the 
Revolution.  Do  not  be  deceived  by  these 
agitators  ;  recollect  that  the  Revolutionary 
officers  are  now  our  comrades,  and  hearsay, 
whether  unsubstantiated  or  now  substan- 
tiated by  rumours,  is  not  worthy  of  attention. 
Do  not  believe  these  rumours,  and  do  not 
take  any  rash  steps  against  our  officer  com- 
rades, only  when  there  is  some  suspicious 
fact,  bring  it  immediately  to  the  notice  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Soldiers'  and 
the  Labour  Deputies.  Do  not  believe  orators 
who  are  without  special  authority  from  the 
Executive  Committee  ;  these  orators  have 
written  authority.  Comrades,  look  after 
your  hard-won  freedom,.  Be  careful ;  freedom 
is  in  our  hands.  We  would  not  forfeit  that 
hard-won  freedom.     We  will  advance  along 


222       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

the  road  with  strengthened  Revolutionary 
ideals,  side  by  side  with  our  officer  comrades 
who  have  come  over  to  our  side.  Welcome 
freedom.  Welcome  our  Revolutionary 
Army." 

In  many  parts  of  the  city  newspapers  were 
sold  by  auction  in  the  streets  with  the  object 
of  raising  money  to  supply  the  immediate 
needs  of  the  soldiers  and  poorer  classes  in  the 
city.  Such  auctions  greatly  amused  the  crowd, 
and  in  many  cases  very  large  sums  of  money 
were  realised  even  for  the  single  5  kopeck 
(penny)  paper  ;  these  sums  on  several  occa- 
sions amounted  to  several  thousands  of 
roubles,  or  hundreds  of  pounds. 

Now  that  the  fighting  and  general  troubles 
were  over,  the  crowd  having  nothing  par- 
ticular to  occupy  their  attention  naturally 
became  serious,  and  looked  round  for  some- 
thing to  do.  Outside  one  of  the  palaces 
someone  suggested  that  the  Royal  coats  of 
arms  and  other  emblems  of  the  old  regime 
should  be  torn  down  and  burnt. 

This  advice  was  quickly  taken  up  by  the 
crowd,  and  in  a  very  short  time  ladders  were 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT    223 

brought  from  all  directions,  and  coats  of 
arms  of  every  description  were  torn  down 
from  palaces,  shops  and  other  buildings,  and 
made  into  huge  bonfires  in  the  streets.  All 
coats  of  arms  were  treated  in  this  way- 
regardless  as  to  the  nationality  which  they 
represented,  and  certainly  any  with  an  eagle 
on  them  were  burnt.  Where  such  coats  of 
arms  v/ere  made  of  metal  they  were  taken  to 
the  canals,  and  after  a  hole  had  been  made 
in  the  ice  they  were  flung  into  the  water. 
When  removing  these  emblems  from  the 
various  buildings  the  people  took  the  greatest 
care  to  avoid  unnecessary  damage. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  week  vehicular 
traffic  had  been  entirely  suspended  ;  to-day, 
however,  for  the  first  time  drojkies,  or  cabs, 
were  to  be  seen  on  the  streets,  and  did  a 
splendid  business,  as  everybody  was  anxious 
to  have  a  ride,  as  a  change  from  the  incessant 
walking  which  the  absence  of  conveyances 
had  necessitated  during  the  previous  week. 

Now  that  the  Republic  was  in  power  every- 
body was  a  "  citizen,"  there  being  absolutely 
no  class  distinction.  Everybody  was  a  brother 
or  sister,  comrade  or  friend,  and  when  bargain- 


224        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

ing  with  a  cabman  one  had  to  address  him  as 
brother  or  comrade,  he  using  similar  expres- 
sions. This  seemed  very  strange,  especially 
when  one  was  always  used  to  addressing  them 
as  "  thou."  Even  officers  when  addressing 
the  soldiers  had  to  call  them  brothers,  the 
soldier  also  addressing  the  officer  in  the  same 
way.  All  references  in  papers  to  the  Tzar 
were  as  "  Citizen  Nikolai  Romanoff,"  or 
more  often  simply  "  Citizen  Nikolai." 

On  March  14th  (March  ist)  a  statement 
was  issued  by  the  Provisional  Parliament  to 
the  effect  that  the  British  and  French 
Ambassadors  had  entered  into  a  working 
agreement  with  the  Acting  Committee  of  the 
Imperial  Duma  for  the  settlement  of  current 
affairs.  This  news  was  received  with  delight 
by  the  people  throughout  the  city,  and  pro- 
cessions were  formed  which  marched  to  the 
Embassies,  which  were  cheered  to  the  echo. 

Another  order  was  issued  on  the  following 
day,  March  15th  (March  2nd),  1917,  equally 
important  to  the  populace ;  it  ran  : — 

"  All  those  who  have  been  suffering  by 
imprisonment  for  their  political  convictions 


'■m 


-*»* 


m 


fa  = 

IL.      " 
H     C 

u.= 

—     CJ 

o  E 
a:  2 


3 

a  - 


en 


THE  REPUBLICAN  GOVERNMENT  225 
have  been  set  free.  Unfortunately  at  the 
same  time  many  undesirable  law-breakers 
obtained  their  freedom.  These  murderers, 
burglars  and  robbers,  clothed  in  soldiers' 
uniforms,  are  entering  private  houses  under 
the  guise  of  making  search,  which  they  have 
no  legal  right  to  do,  and  are  steahng  from 
and  frightening  the  public. 

"  I  order  that  all  such  persons  shall  be 
detained  without  hesitation  and  every 
measure  taken  against  them,  even  to  shooting 
them  in  the  event  of  resistance.  All  military 
and  militia  patrols  must  have  a  white  band 
on  the  left  arm,  giving  particulars  of  the  unit 
to  which  they  belong,  and  must  have  written 
authority  from  their  unit. 

"  (Signed)  M.  A.  Karavaloff, 

"  Member  of  the  Provisional  Govt." 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   PROBLEM   OF  THE  WORKERS   AND 
THE  SOLDIERS 

j4  LTHOUGH  by  this  time  the  situa- 
/  \  tion  appeared  to  be  working  norm- 
-^  J^  ally  again,  close  inspection  showed 
that  already  the  workpeople  had  been  too  long 
unemployed.  There  was  a  distinct  undercurrent 
of  unrest  prevailing  and  such  unrest  was 
without  doubt  being  fomented  by  some  un- 
seen, but  not  very  powerful  organisation. 
Groups  of  workpeople  were  beginning  to  have 
heated  arguments  with  groups  of  soldiers. 
This  was  a  bad  sign,  as  a  break  between  the 
soldiers  and  the  people  would  spell  ruin  to 
Russia,  and  without  doubt  would  mean  the 
re-establishment  of  the  old  regime. 

These  signs  had  not  passed  unnoticed  by 
the    Revolutionary    Committee,    who    were 

doing  their  utmost  to  get  the  people  back  to 

226 


WORKERS  AND  SOLDIERS      227 

their  work,  but  this  the  people  were  loth  to 
do,  as  they  were  not  yet  tired  of  the  feeling 
of  elation  consequent  upon  their  new-found 
freedom,  in  fact  it  was  humorous  to  hear 
some  of  the  remarks  of  the  workmen.  Having 
suffered  for  so  many  years  under  the  iron  heel 
of  oppression,  their  dulled  minds,  thus  sud- 
denly awakened,  were  not  able  to  grasp 
things.  Wlien  they  heard  the  various  orators 
tell  them  they  were  now  free,  they  naturally 
thought  that  this  meant  that  they  would 
never  have  to  work  again.  When  these  same 
orators  later  told  them  to  prepare  to  go  back 
to  work  on  the  Monday,  they  ingenuously 
remarked,  "  Why  go  back  to  work  ?  Are  not 
the  rich  going  to  keep  us  now  ?  We  are  all 
equal,  therefore  why  should  they  have  more 
money  ?  " 

It  was  only  after  lengthy  and  very  detailed 
explanations  that  they  were  able  to  grasp 
the  fact  that  unless  they  worked  they  would 
starve.  When  they  were  convinced  of  this 
they  became  very  suspicious  that  the  new 
organisation  was  going  to  grind  them  down  to 
suit  its  own  purposes.  This  feeling  so  per- 
meated   the   lower   working-classes   that    in 


228        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

many  instances  they  refused  to  return  to 
their  work,  and  those  that  did  so  put  forward 
the  most  ridiculous  demands  to  their  em- 
ployers. A  good  deal  of  dissent  was  spread 
amongst  the  people  by  some  of  the  workmen, 
who  imagined  that  they  really  knew  the  real 
state  of  affairs,  gathering  round  them  a 
crowd  and  explaining  their  views  of  the 
situation,  which  were,  in  many  cases,  most 
ridiculous  and  very  misleading. 

When  the  Russian  workman  gets  an  idea 
fixed  in  his  head  it  is  difficult  for  that  idea  to 
be  driven  out,  and  therefore,  although  they 
were  delighted  that  their  arch-enemies,  the 
poHce,  had  been  entirely  wiped  out,  neverthe- 
less their  religious  teaching  for  generations 
had  impressed  upon  them  that  the  Tzar  was 
supreme,  and  they  could  not  understand  that 
he  no  longer  occupied  his  high  position.    This 
feeling  was  more  evident  amongst  the  women, 
who  in  Russia,  as  in  every  other  country,  in- 
variably show  a  more  deeply-rooted  feeling 
for  their  rehgious  teaching.     To  show  how 
little  the  people  realised  what  a  Republican 
Government  meant,  there  were  some  small 
cliques  who  were  shouting  out   "  Respublic 


WORKERS  AND  SOLDIERS      229 

pod    Tzarom,"    meaning    "  Republic    under 
the  Tzar." 

The  numerous  agitators  and  extremists 
amongst  the  workmen  did  their  utmost  to 
^persuade  the  people  not  to  return  to  their 
work  until  they  had  some  definite  proof  that 
the  I  Republic  was  really  an  established  fact. 
For  the  workpeople  to  go  back,  they  urged, 
under  the  same  conditions  ruling  prior  to  the 
Revolution,  meant  that  nothing  had  been 
gained  by  the  enormous  sacrifice  of  life  which 
the  people  had  made.  This  was  no  doubt  a 
sound  argument  from  their  point  of  view,  but 
it  was  keeping  the  people  idle,  which  meant 
they  got  into  mischief. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  soldiers,  whose 
ranks  had  now  been  swelled  to  an  alarming 
extent,  absolutely  refused  to  adopt  any 
system  of  discipline.  They  wandered  about 
the  streets  as  they  pleased,  refusing  to  give 
up  their  arms.  It  was  a  common  sight  to  see 
a  soldier  or  a  sailor  with  an  officer's  sword  at 
his  side,  a  revolver  at  his  belt,  a  rifle  over 
his  shoulder,  and  a  large  belt  of  machine-gun 
cartridges,  walking  arm-in-arm  with  his  sweet- 
heart. 


230       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

The  soldiers  fully  realised  that  numbers 
meant  strength,  and  therefore  about  20,000 
of  them  collected  in  the  Narodney  Dom,  or 
People's  Palace,  a  magnificent  building  which 
was  some  years  ago  presented  to  the  people 
by  the  Tzar.  The  soldiers  established  them- 
selves in  this  building  and  mounted  machine- 
guns  at  the  windows  and  doors.  They  would 
not  allow  a  single  officer  or  civilian  into  the 
building,  but  appointed  their  own  officers 
from  the  ranks.  All  efforts  of  the  new  Minis- 
ters to  persuade  them  to  leave  the  building 
and  return  to  their  barracks  were  unavailing. 
They  were  quite  peaceful  and  took  great  care 
to  avoid  damaging  the  building  in  any  way 
whatsoever.  They  arranged  their  own  kitchen 
and  turned  one  of  the  many  halls  into  a  mess- 
room.  Any  soldier  was  welcome  and  could 
always  have  a  meal  and  a  bed. 

Their  example  was  followed  by  other  groups 
of  soldiers  who  commandeered  palaces  or  large 
cinema  halls  ;  these  latter,  however,  were 
soon  persuaded  to  return  to  barracks,  but 
not  so  those  in  the  People's  Palace. 

Many  people  in  this  country,  who  gather 
from  the  papers  reports  of  the  lack  of  dis- 


WORKERS  AND  SOLDIERS      231 

cipline  amongst  the  soldiery  in  Petrograd, 
naturally  conclude  that  the  same  state  of 
affairs  must  also  prevail  at  the  fronts,  but 
this  is  not  so.  Ten  days  after  Red  Monday 
an  old  workman  of  mine  returned  from  the 
front  and  came  to  see  me.  I  asked  him  what 
he  was  doing  in  Petrograd,  and  he  stated  that 
he  had  returned  from  the  southern  front  with 
two  regiments  of  soldiers  to  quell  the  disturb- 
ances. On  the  journey  up  to  Petrograd  they 
had  learnt  the  true  facts  of  the  situation,  and 
upon  their  arrival  immediately  joined  the 
Revolutionaries,  but  would  not  allow  their 
officers  even  to  be  disarmed. 

I  asked  him  how  the  Revolution  had 
affected  the  troops  at  the  front.  He  replied 
that  directly  the  news  came  through  of  the 
lack  of  discipline  in  Petrograd,  the  soldiers 
at  the  front  had  petitioned  their  officers  to  be, 
if  possible,  more  severe  with  them  and  main- 
tain still  stricter  discipline.  The  men  fully 
realised  that  its  absence  would  without  doubt 
m.ean  defeat  and  the  loss  of  their  own  lives. 
He  stated  that  although  there  were  a  large 
number  of  officers  who  were  unpopular,  and 
whom  he  and  his  comrades  would  have  great 


232       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

pleasure  in  killing,  nevertheless  the  safety  of 
the  nation  was  of  paramount  importance. 
\^^len  asked  as  to  the  fate  of  these  officers 
later  he  simply  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

I  enquired  how  things  were  going  at  the 
front,  and  he  replied,  "  Well,  but  never  very 
good  under  the  old  commanders."  Although 
the  majority  of  the  higher  officers  were  them- 
selves patriotic,  yet  they  were  forced  to  obey 
commands  from  Headquarters,  which  com- 
mands were  generally  given  more  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  enemy  than  in  those  of  Russia. 
On  numerous  occasions,  though  they  had  the 
Germans  and  Turks  beaten  and  on  the  run, 
they  were  ordered  to  retire.  At  other  times, 
when  they  were  firmly  installed  in  their 
trenches,  an  order  would  come  through  to 
retire  to  the  second  line,  and  thus  leave  their 
well-equipped  and  well-stocked  trenches  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Since  the  Revolu- 
tion, however,  such  things  had  not  occurred, 
and  he  was  confident  that  with  the  new 
order  of  things  victory  would  be  assured,  for 
the  soldiers  had  every  confidence  in  them- 
selves. 

The  lack  of  discipline  and  general  unrest 


WORKERS  AND  SOLDIERS      233 

among  the  working-classes  caused  the  new 
Government  many  anxious  moments.  They 
were  striving  their  utmost  to  eHminate  these 
factors  and  restore  order,  for  while  such  con- 
ditions existed  there  was  always  the  possi- 
bility of  trouble  breaking  out  between  the 
soldiers  and  the  workpeople.  This  would 
materially  weaken  the  power  of  the  new 
Government,  and  allow  its  enemies  again  to 
become  powerful,  and  although  the  new 
Government  would,  without  doubt,  be  able  to 
hold  their  own  and  enforce  their  new  laws, 
nevertheless  it  could  only  be  done  by  terrible 
and  bloody  means. 

These  matters  were  pointed  out  to  the 
soldiers  and  people  by  well-known  orators 
commissioned  by  the  new  Government,  but 
their  arguments  produced  but  little  result. 
Special  proclamations  signed  by  the  new 
Government  were  posted  all  over  the  city, 
asking  the  citizens  to  return  to  their  work  on 
the  Monday  morning.  In  some  cases  the 
people  did  so,  but  the  majority  refused. 
Further  special  appeals  were  made,  pointing 
out  that  as  long  as  the  workmen  remained  out 
their  comrades    and    fellow   citizens   in   the 


234       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

trenches  would  suffer,  and  that  the  Father- 
land would  thus  be  further  in  danger. 

These  arguments  induced  quite  a  large 
number  to  return  to  their  work,  but  only 
where  the  employers  granted  the  workmen's 
demands.  Their  demands,  they  frankly 
stated,  were  only  prehminary  ones,  and 
they  intended  to  hold  special  meetings  to 
decide  their  final  terms.  These  would  in- 
clude instructions  to  employers  as  to  how 
works  and  factories  were  to  be  run  and, 
knowing  their  own  power,  they  were  able  to 
enforce  such  demands  with  the  threat  that 
unless  they  were  granted  to  them  they  would 
burn  down  the  factory.  Thus  during  the 
following  week,  although  all  factories  had 
been  at  a  standstill  for  practically  two  weeks, 
those  that  resumed  work  did  so  with  greatly 
depleted  staffs,  in  many  cases  not  more  than 
half  the  men  returned  to  their  work. 

To  illustrate  the  methods  and  demands  of 
the  workmen,  the  following  incident  may  be 
cited  in  connection  with  a  large  English  mill 
where  the  workpeople  had  always  been 
treated  in  an  exceptionally  lenient  manner. 
Throughout  the  days  of  Revolution,  gangs  of 


WORKERS  AND  SOLDIERS      235 

workmen,  together  with  soldiers  and  sailors, 
had  continually  searched  the  premises  for 
fire-arms  and  policemen.  The  owner,  however, 
had  taken  the  precaution,  directly  the  dis- 
order started,  that  all  policemen  in  connection 
with  the  mill  were  to  surrender  their  weapons 
to  him  and  then  make  themselves  scarce. 
The  police  complied  with  his  wishes,  and 
when  the  first  batch  of  workmen  approached 
the  mill  he  handed  over  all  the  police  arms  to 
them  and  invited  them  to  search,  which  they 
did  without  result.  The  men  then  demanded 
that  all  mill  records  should  be  immediately 
destroyed  as  the  new  era  was  to  commence 
with  new  books.  The  owner  and  his  staff  of 
Englishmen  did  their  utmost  to  persuade  the 
men  that  such  an  act  would  be  detrimental 
to  their  own  interests,  as  the  mill  records 
contained  only  information  relating  to  the 
workmen.  The  men,  however,  urged  that  in 
those  records  notes  had  been  made  against 
workpeople  who  had  been  during  the  last 
twelve  or  fifteen  years  discharged  for  theft, 
and  as  there,  were  no  thieves  now  such  records 
were  not  required.  Although  on  several 
occasions  they  were  persuaded  to  go  away  the 


236        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

mob  finally  returned  and  demanded  that  the 
books  should  be  destroyed.  Seeing  that 
further  argument  would  be  of  no  avail,  the 
books  were  handed  over  to  the  men,  who  took 
them  to  the  boiler  house  and  burned  them  in 
the  furnaces.  Thus  were  destroyed  twelve 
years'  records. 

On  many  occasions  the  owner  and  his 
English  staff,  who  lived  quite  close  to  the 
mill,  had  their  premises  subjected  to  close 
searches  by  the  mobs,  and  although  treated 
with  respect  they  passed  through  some  very 
trying  experiences. 

On  Monday,  exactly  a  week  after  the 
terrible  *'  Red  Monday,"  a  number  of  the 
men  returned  to  their  work,  but  before  start- 
ing they  put  a  list  of  their  demands  before 
the  owner.  These  provided  (i)  that  certain 
Englishmen  leave  the  premises  at  once,  as  it 
was  said  they  had  on  several  occasions  been 
harsh  in  their  treatment  of  the  workpeople  ; 
(2)  that  a  new  schedule  of  wages  be  observed, 
involving  an  advance  of  fifty  and  a  hundred 
per  cent,  upon  the  pre-Revolution  scale  (the 
increase  varied  with  the  skill  or  position 
occupied  by  the  workman) ;  (3)  that  the  work- 


WORKERS  AND  SOLDIERS      237 

people  should  appoint  their  own  foremen  or 
masters  of  departments,  and  those  permitted 
to  remain  would  clearly  understand  that  they 
were  on  the  same  footing  as  the  workmen, 
who  were  to  be  treated  with  the  utmost 
civility  and  called  brothers  or  comrades. 
Further,  if  the  workmen  wished  to  hold  a 
meeting  they  could  do  so  when  they  wished. 
These,  it  must  be  remembered,  were  merely 
the  preliminary  demands  until  they  could 
meet  and  discuss  their  final  wishes. 

To  these  demands  the  owners  were  forced 
to  agree  under  the  threat  that  the  mill  would 
be  burnt.  The  workpeople  then  resumed  their 
work  in  a  most  lackadaisical  way.  During 
the  first  few  days  on  several  occasions  they 
shut  down  the  mill-engines  to  hold  meetings 
in  the  yards. 

It  had  been  the  practice  at  the  mills  that 
the  workpeople  could  obtain  from  the  mill 
stores  a  certain  amount  of  provisions,  which 
were  issued  under  a  card  system.  The  English 
foremen  and  masters  of  departments,  how- 
ever, had  been  allowed  a  larger  amount  of 
provisions  than  the  general  workmen.  The 
men  now  stated  that  as  everybody  was  on  an 


238       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

equal  basis  the  distribution  of  the  food  must 
be  equahsed.  They  allowed  the  owners,  how- 
ever, exemption  from  these  conditions,  stating 
that  their  final  demands  would  cover  this 
point.  Thus,  although  very  little  useful  work 
was  done  by  the  workpeople,  the  wage  sheets 
of  this  particular  mill  advanced  from  Roubles 
26,000  a  day  to  Roubles  48,000.  This  was 
not  an  isolated  case,  in  fact  the  owners  con- 
gratulated themselves  as  having  been  very 
leniently  treated.  In  many  cases  workpeople 
submitted  as  many  as  thirty  or  forty  demands 
to  factory  and  mill  owners  before  they  would 
resume  work,  in  some  instances  demand- 
ing that  their  wages  should  be  doubled,  in 
some  cases  even  trebled. 

When  the  new  Government  becomes  firmly 
installed  the  workpeople  will  most  likely  be 
brought  to  their  senses  and  convinced  that 
if  they  receive  such  ridiculously  high  wages, 
it  will  only  have  the  effect  of  raising  the 
general  cost  of  living  and  thus  they  will  make 
no  direct  gain. 


CHAPTER   XII 

GATHERING   UP   THE   THREADS 

y4LTH0UGH  practically  all  of  the 
/\  fighting  throughout  the  Revolution 
Jl.  JLhad  taken  place  in  Petrograd,  slight 
disturbances  had  occurred  in  four  or  five 
cities  and  towns  in  other  parts  of  the  Empire, 
but  these  disturbances  were  not  serious,  and 
were  frequently  the  result  of  local  friction. 
On  the  Tuesday  following  the  great  day  of 
the  Revolution,  five  hundred  cities  and 
towns  had  gone  over  completely  to  the 
Revolutionary  Movement  with  practically  no 
bloodshed.  Although  this  great  Revolution 
has  been  referred  to  as  a  bloodless  and  peace- 
ful one,  it  can  only  be  held  true  if  one  includes 
the  whole  of  the  population  of  the  Empire. 
The  casualties  when  considered  in  relation  to 
a  population  of  170  million  were  small ;  but 
the  fighting  took  place  in  Petrograd  and  its 

239 


240       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

immediate  surroundings  and  resulted  in 
several  thousands  being  killed,  and  many 
thousands  badly  wounded. 

Although  it  is  said  that  the  Revolution  is 
over  and  that  the  Republic  is  an  established 
fact,  yet  this  does  not  by  any  means  indicate 
that  the  present  Government  has  an  easy 
path  before  it.  To  anyone  intimate  with  the 
country  and  its  people  such  an  idea  is  ridicu- 
lous, for  it  must  be  understood  that  with 
such  a  vast  population  it  is  only  natural  that 
there  are  numerous  parties  working  for  their 
own  ideals.  The  majority  of  these  parties 
have  a  more  or  less  common  ideal — the 
freedom  of  Russia — nevertheless  they  differ 
in  many  respects. 

The  greatest  danger  to  the  new  Govern- 
ment are  the  parties  of  the  old  regime  and 
the  police.  The  mere  dethronement  of  the 
Tzar,  the  imprisonment  of  the  Ministers,  the 
killing  of  a  number  of  the  police  and  the 
elimination  of  the  old  police  system,  does  not 
mean  that  the  old  Government  is  quite  dead 
and  incapable  of  further  action.  Although 
practically  all  the  upper  classes  openly 
acknowledged  that  they  were  in  sympathy 


3 


>3 

c  t 


/C  rt 


GATHERING   UP  THE  THREADS      241 

with  the  present  Government,  they  quite 
naturally  find  it  difficult  to  relinquish  all 
hold  of  their  former  ideals  and  royalist  views. 
The  new  order  of  things  will  mean  to  such 
people  numerous  personal  sacrifices,  and  they 
will  without  doubt  strive  to  regain  power. 

If  the  old  regime  were  reinstated,  their 
brutality  and  inhuman  practices  would  be 
multiplied  a  hundredfold,  and  forever  reduce 
the  population  of  Russia  to  a  state  of  slavery. 
This  is  fully  realised  by  all  members  of  the 
old  Revolutionary  Party,  and  the  capable 
Ministers  now  at  the  head  of  affairs,  who  are 
real  patriots  and  will  sacrifice  everything 
they  hold  most  dear  to  complete  the  salva- 
tion of  the  nation.  Although  the  people  of 
Russia  have  by  this  terrible  war  suffered 
most  severe  privations,  yet  they  realise  that 
it  is  not  exclusively  their  war,  but  that  they 
are  merely  a  part  of  a  huge  organisation 
known  as  the  Allies. 

All  are  striving  to  overthrow  a  cruel  enemy 
of  civilisation,  and  mankind  generally,  and 
so  establish  a  lasting  peace.  The  new 
Russians  intend  to  fulfil  their  bond  to  the 
Allies.    This  Revolution  has  been  throughout, 

R 


242       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

not  only  for  the  salvation  of  the  nation  but 
for  the  War  and  not  against  it.  Discipline 
amongst  the  soldiery  in  Petrograd  seems 
temporarily  to  have  vanished,  still  their 
comrades  at  the  front  are  maintaining  the 
strictest  possible  discipline,  as  they  are  fully 
aware  that  the  safety  of  the  Empire  now 
rests  with  them.  Although  there  are  a  great 
number  of  officers  in  charge  of  battalions  at 
the  front  who  are  cordially  disliked  by  the 
soldiers,  there  has  not  been  one  recorded 
instance  where  an  officer  has  been  killed  by 
his  own  men  or  even  treated  with  disrespect. 
With  a  nation  such  as  this  with  its  wonderful 
powers  of  self-control,  there  is  little  to  fear 
from  the  enemy,  provided  that  the  troops  are 
supplied  with  the  necessary  munitions  and 
food-stuffs  to  carry  on  the  campaign.  Al- 
though the  supply  of  munitions  was  tem- 
porarily reduced  by  the  stoppage  of  work  in 
the  Petrograd  area,  this  does  not  mean  that 
the  army  is  without  supplies.  Throughout  the 
Empire  the  munition-makers  are  working  at 
increased  pressure  to  make  up  the  slight 
deficiency,  and  when  the  new  Government 
have  the    Petrograd  Works   again   going  at 


GATHERING  UP  THE  THREADS      243 

their  full  capacity,  and  navigation  permits  of 
further  supplies  from  the  Allies,  it  will  be' 
seen  that  Russia  is  able  to  hold  her  own  as 
she  has  done  in  the  past. 

The  greatest  drawback  that  the  army  have 
had  to  contend  with  has  been  the  deliberate 
disorganisation  of  the  railway  systems  by 
the  old  Government,  who,  although  most 
competently  advised,  shelved  such  advice 
and  continued  their  well-laid  plans.  Luckily, 
however,  such  advice  was  submitted  to  Prince 
Lvoff,  Head  of  the  new  Government,  and 
Mr.  Nekrasoff,  Minister  of  Ways  of  Com- 
munications, who  were  keen  to  have  the  views 
of  a  competent  authority,  and  they  immedi- 
ately set  about  the  reorganisation  of  railway 
communications  and  waterways.  Naturally 
such  organisation  cannot  be  brought  into 
being  in  a  few  days,  but  already  its  good 
effects  are  being  materially  felt,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  the  railways  will  be  working  at 
their  utmost  capacity  to  supply  not  only  the 
requirements  of  the  soldiers  at  the  fronts, 
but  the  equally  needed  necessaries  of  the 
people. 

In  addition  to  the  attempts  which  will  be 


244       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

made  by  the  old  regime  to  regain  power, 
there  are  numerous,  though  happily  minor, 
factions    which    will    endeavour    to    obtain 
some  authority.    It  is  these  societies  or  sm.all 
organisations  that  will  be  a  thorn  in  the  side 
of  the  new  Government  for  some  time  to 
come.    We  must  therefore  be  fully  prepared 
for  reports  of  disturbances  in  different  parts 
of  the  Empire.     Such  disturbances  or  out- 
breaks will,  however,  have  little  bearing  on 
the  progress  of  the  War,  which,  like  ourselves, 
the   Russians   have   decided   to   bring   to   a 
victorious  conclusion.     There  is  the  remote 
possibility    that    these    minor    organisations 
may  be  able  to  cause  friction  between  the 
parties    of    the    new    Government    and    its 
Workmen's  and   Soldiers'   Supporting   Dele- 
gates.     Should    such    an    event    happen    it 
would   no   doubt   give   rise   to   moments   of 
anxiety,  but  it  would  still  be  unable  to  alter 
the  programme  of  the  Government  to  any 
material  extent,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
Republic  of  Russia  has  come  to  stay. 

On  Sunday,  March  i8th  (March  5th),  the 
conditions  throughout  the  city  had  prac- 
tically resumed  their  normal  aspect,  although 


GATHERING  UP  THE  THREADS      245 

large  crowds  still  continued  to  throng  the 
streets. 

During  the  night  considerable  excitement 
was  caused  by  the  fact  that  certain  extremists, 
no  doubt  of  the  Nihilist  persuasion,  careered 
about  the  streets  in  dark-coloured  auto- 
mobiles bearing  no  numbers  or  lights,  and 
from  these  cars  they  opened  fire  on  the 
Citizen  Militia,  killing  and  wounding  quite  a 
large  number.  In  every  case  the  cars  escaped, 
the  Militia  being  powerless  to  hold  them  up. 
These  cars  became  known  as  the  *'  black 
automobiles  ; "  their  advent  instituted  a  reign 
of  terror,  as  they  continued  their  murderous 
exploits  for  several  nights. 

The  Revolutionary  Committee  quickly 
grasped  the  situation,  however,  and  issued 
instructions  to  the  effect  that  all  citizens, 
other  than  the  soldiers  and  Militia,  would  be 
well-advised  to  be  in  their  houses  by  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  so  as  to  avoid  the  danger  of 
these  black  automobiles.  At  the  same  time 
it  was  stated  that  the  authorities  would  do 
everything  in  their  power  to  exterminate 
these  enemies  of  the  people.  During  the 
following  three  or  four  nights  quite  a  large 


246       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

number  of  the  Militia  and  soldiers  were  killed 
or  wounded  before  they  were  able  to  cope 
with  these  dastardly  murderers. 

The  new  Government  had  by  special 
proclamation  on  Sunday,  requested  all  work- 
men to  resume  work  in  the  morning.  Vehicular 
traffic  became  practically  normal,  but  the 
tramway  services  were  not  yet  in  operation. 
The  city  authorities,  however,  had  large 
gangs  of  men  and  women  busy  clearing  the 
snow  from  the  streets  and  making  prepara- 
tions for  the  tramway  service  to  be  resumed 
on  the  Monday  or  Tuesday.  In  a  number  of 
places  the  overhead  trolley  wire  had  been 
cut  by  bullets,  and  workmen  were  busily 
engaged  in  repairing  and  bringing  this  into 
order.  On  the  Tuesday,  the  first  tram  to 
leave  the  yards  bore  a  large  inscription, 
"  Long  live  the  Republic,''  and  every  tram 
was  flying  a  red  flag. 

The  week  that  followed  passed  without  any 
serious  disturbances  other  than  the  black 
automobiles. 

Now  that  they  had  been  granted  free 
speech  and  action,  all  classes  of  the  popula- 
tion were  desirous  of  benefiting  as  speedily 


GATHERING  UP  THE  THREADS      247 

as  possible  from  the  new  condition  of  affairs. 
Meetings  were  organised  to  deal  with  the 
welfare  of  the  various  units,  such  as  domestic 
servants,  chauffeurs,  bank-clerks,  shop  assist- 
ants, etc.  One  day  was  allowed  each  for 
discussion  of  matters  dealing  with  hours  of 
work,  wages  and  general  conditions. 

The  first  of  these  meetings  was  that  of  the 
domestic  servants.  Notices  were  issued  in 
the  papers,  and  handbills  were  also  circulated 
to  the  effect  that  all  domestic  servants  should, 
at  a  certain  hour  of  the  day,  meet  at  the 
nearest  cinema-hall  in  their  neighbourhood, 
where  speakers  would  await  them  to  discuss 
the  future.  At  the  time  appointed,  every 
cinema-hall  in  the  city,  other  than  those 
occupied  by  the  soldiers,  was  crowded  with 
domestic  servants.  Heated  discussions  took 
place,  but  they  were  all  unanimous  in  their 
opinion  as  to  the  future.  The  chief  points 
which  they  decided  should  come  into  effect 
immediately  were  as  follows  : — 

(i)  An  eight  hour  working  day. 

(2)  A  minimum  wage  of  40  roubles  (ap- 
proximately ;^4)  per  month.     (The  previous 


248        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

wages  ruling  prior  to  the  Revolution  were 
between  lo  and  20  roubles  per  month.) 

(3)  The  mistress  should  on  one  day  a 
month  give  the  flat  over  to  the  servants  for 
the  entertainment  of  their  friends. 

There  were  numerous  other  minor  points, 
but  the  above  will  suffice  to  illustrate  the 
extent  to  which  their  new-found  freedom  was 
carrying  them. 

Although  the  above  demands  appear 
humorous,  they  were  in  many  cases  agreed 
to  by  the  employers.  The  older  servants, 
however,  who  had  been  used  to  work  any 
hours  and  for  a  low  wage,  could  not  bring 
themselves  to  be  party  to  the  new  ideas. 

Only  a  few  years  ago  it  was  possible  to 
obtain  quite  a  good  servant  for  a  wage  of 
from  five  to  ten  roubles  a  month,  and  such 
servants  would  never  complain  as  to  hours  of 
work.  They  were  usually  obedient  and  faith- 
ful, although  somewhat  slovenly  in  their 
habits.  The  great  question  now  occupying  the 
minds  of  housewives  in  Petrograd  is  this 
serious  problem  of  the  servant  supply.  Under 
the  new  order  of  things  a  servant  who  com- 


GATHERING   UP  THE  THREADS      249 

menced  work  at  7  a.m.  would  cease  at  3  p.m., 
after  which  time  the  mistress  would  have  to 
do  what  work  remained  and  prepare  the 
dinner,  unless  she  would  arrange  that  one 
servant  started  early  and  the  other  later  in 
the  day. 

The  demands  agreed  upon  by  the  chauffeurs 
were  very  similar  to  those  of  the  domestic 
servants,  and  thus  an  eight  hour  day  rather 
limited  one's  activities  for  business.  A  friend 
of  mine  whose  chauffeur  insisted  upon  adher- 
ing to  the  new  conditions,  set  out  from  home  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening  was  engaged  at  a  meeting 
which  detained  him  until  6.30.  Upon  leaving 
he  was  surprised  to  find  that  his  chauffeur 
had  gone  home,  having  already  been  out  his 
eight  hours. 

On  another  occasion,  wishing  to  call  on 
some  friends  in  the  evening  he  sent  word  to 
his  chauffeur  to  have  the  car  round  at  his 
house  in  ten  minutes.  The  chauffeur,  how- 
ever, sent  him  a  polite  note  stating  that  his 
work  for  the  day  was  done  and  that  he  could 
not  undertake  to  comply  v/ith  his  master's 
wishes  as  he  was  entertaining  some  friends. 


250       RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

but  a  friend  of  his  would  undertake  to  drive 
the  car  provided  he  were  paid  for  his  time. 
To  this  my  friend  had  to  agree. 

The  bank  clerks  and  shop  assistants  also 
decided  upon  very  similar  demands,  and, 
what  to  them  was  more  important,  were 
successful. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
INCIDENTS   OF  THE   REVOLUTION 

THE  following  is  a  brief  description 
of  a  number  of  incidents  which 
occurred  during  the  week  of  strife, 
and  with  which  I  was  either  personally  con- 
nected, or  which  were  related  to  me  by  my 
intimate  friends  as  having  occurred  to  them. 
I  can  vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  everything 
I  narrate. 

On  the  Tuesday  morning  following  the 
severe  troubles  and  commencement  of  the 
Revolution,  I  arrived  in  my  office  about  ten 
o'clock  and  was  standing  with  my  partner 
close  to  one  of  the  windows  when  suddenly  a 
bullet  passed  through  the  double  glass  and  em- 
bedded itself  in  the  ceiling  above.  At  the  same 
moment  two  machine-guns  started  firing  from 
the  roof  immediately  overhead.  Then  com- 
menced   a   terrific  fusillade  from  the  crowd 


252        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

below,  the  bullets  striking  the  walls  and  the 
edge  of  the  roofing  in  large  numbers.  In  the 
next  room  to  mine,  an  office  servant  who 
went  to  one  of  the  windows  received  a  bullet 
through  the  heart  and  dropped  dead. 

The  feeling  of  being  in  a  room  and  hearing 
bullets  spattering  around  is  by  no  means 
pleasant,  especially  when  one's  windows  are 
to  some  extent  commanded  from  the  streets 
and  from  the  roofs  opposite.  I  decided  to 
leave  the  office  and  join  the  crowds  in  the 
streets,  but  at  the  door  I  was  met  by  a  patrol 
of  soldiers  who  came  into  the  office  and  gave 
the  order  to  everybody  of  "  Hands  up." 
They  then  searched  the  office,  stating  that  if 
any  fire-arms  were  found  we  should  be  shot. 
After  a  diligent  search,  however,  they  left 
us  in  peace.  During  the  next  two  hours  we 
were  thus  held  up  five  times  and  our  persons 
and  offices  searched.  We  endeavoured  to 
leave  with  the  last  patrol,  but  were  roughly 
asked  where  we  were  going.  When  we  told 
them  that  we  were  going  home  they  per- 
mitted us  to  leave.  The  patrol  made  its  way 
to  the  roof  and  soon  accounted  for  the  police 
with  their  machine-guns. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    253 

A  very  intimate  friend  of  mine  was  on  the 
Wednesday  visiting  some  friends  who  pos- 
sessed a  large  works  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city.    At  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
a  party  of  drunken  sailors,  led  by  a  young 
hooligan,  forced  their  way  into  the  yard  and 
demanded  that  the  motor-car  belonging  to 
the  owner  of  the  works  should  be  given  up 
immediately.     My  friend,  however,  who  was 
used  to  handling  Russian  workmen,   asked 
them  for  their  permit  to  take  the  car.    This 
they  roughly  retorted   was   unnecessary,   as 
they  wanted  the  car  and  were  going  to  have 
it.    He,  however,  kept  them  in  argument  and 
told  one  of  the  servants  in  English  to  go  and 
get  a  patrol  of  Militia  as  soon  as  possible. 
This  the  servant  did,  and  upon  the  arrival  of 
the  patrol  the  drunken  sailors  were  ordered 
away.     Meantime,  however,  my  friend  had 
had  rather  a  trying  experience,  for  one  of  the 
sailors  placed  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  against 
my  friend's  chest  and  ordered  another  one 
to  search  him,  stating  that  if  fire-arms  were 
found  on  him  he  was  a  dead  man.    Luckily, 
however,  he  was  not  carrying  his  revolver  at 
the  time. 


254       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

After  these  hooligans  had  been  ordered 
away,  my  friend  returned  to  the  house,  and 
while  sitting  down  to  dinner  with  the  owner 
and  his  wife,  the  young  hooligan  who  had 
led  the  sailors  returned,  but  this  time  with 
twenty-one  fully  armed  and  drunken  associ- 
ates and  criminals  dressed  as  soldiers.  Each 
man  was  armed  with  a  rifle,  bayonet  and 
revolver.  This  young  hooligan,  not  more 
than  fifteen  years  old,  had  during  the  previous 
year  been  discharged  from  the  works  for 
theft.  He  entered  with  his  band  and  declared 
that  police  were  hiding  in  the  house  and 
that  there  was  also  a  machine-gun  hidden 
with  a  stock  of  ammunition  and  also  large 
stocks  of  wines.  The  occupants  of  the  house 
were  given  the  order  "  Hands  up,"  and  then 
these  ruffians  made  a  thorough  search  of  the 
whole  house,  smashing  and  disarranging 
everything. 

In  the  drawer  of  a  desk  they  found  a  few 
Browning  cartridges  and  immediately  de- 
manded to  know  where  the  revolver  was. 
The  owner  of  the  house  said  that  his  son, 
who  was  at  the  front,  had  taken  the  revolver 
with  him   but  had  forgotten  the  few  cart- 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    255 

ridges.  This,  however,  they  would  not 
beUeve.  One  man  unloaded  his  rifle  and  then, 
with  the  remark  *'  Thou  seest,"  he  placed  a 
cartridge  in  the  breech,  put  the  muzzle  of  the 
rifle  at  the  owner's  throat  and  said,  "  You 
have  ten  seconds  only  in  which  to  tell  me 
where  that  revolver  is  or  you  die."  He  then 
began  to  count  slowly.  The  owner  again 
stated  that  his  son  had  taken  the  revolver. 
The  man  counted  to  seven  and  then  said,  "  All 
right,  we  believe  you." 

While  the  mob  were  ransacking  the  house, 
my  friend  told  the  owner  and  his  wife  in 
English  that  he  would  try  and  slip  out  for 
assistance.  He  then  gradually  made  his  way 
to  the  door,  picking  up  a  light  overcoat  as  he 
went,  and  as  he  rushed  through  the  gate  he 
snatched  off  the  dvornick's  hat  and  then  ran 
as  hard  as  he  could  into  the  city.  He  endea- 
voured to  telephone  to  the  Embassy  and 
Consulate,  but  received  no  reply  from  either 
place,  the  wires  were  evidently  out  of  order. 
He  then  tried  a  friend  of  ours,  a  Senator 
in  the  Durna,  who  also  endeavoured  to  obtain 
some  assistance,  but  without  avail. 

The  senator  advised  him,  however,  to  go 


256        RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

out  into  the  streets  and  the  first  decent-look- 
ing soldiers  that  he  saw  put  the  matter  before 
them.  This  my  friend  did,  and  the  soldiers 
at  once  advised  him  to  go  to  the  head-quarters 
of  the  militia.  Upon  arriving  there  three  or 
four  militiamen  said  that  they  would  go  with 
him,  but  when  he  pointed  out  that  it  would 
require  more  than  three  or  four  men  to  deal 
with  twenty-one  armed  and  drunken  hooligans, 
they  decided  that  it  would  be  advisable  for 
him  to  go  to  the  head  of  the  military. 

At  head-quarters  he  was  immediately  given 
a  detachment  of  forty  soldiers  under  the 
command  of  a  self-appointed  officer.  They 
then  commandeered  a  large  motor  lorry 
and  set  off  for  the  house.  This,  although 
quickly  narrated,  took  about  two  hours  to 
accomplish,  and  it  was  thus  about  twelve 
o'clock  at  night  when  the  motor  lorry  with 
its  load  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  house. 
There  was  no  firing  going  on  in  that  quarter, 
but  as  the  lorry  with  its  load  was  passing 
through  a  square  in  front  of  a  church  and  two 
large  buildings,  three  machine-guns  suddenly 
opened  on  them,  wounding  several,  my  friend, 
however,  luckily  escaping. 


5    M 

or 


u 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    257 

Then  ensued  a  fight  between  the  soldiers 
and  the  pohce  on  the  roofs.  Many  other 
soldiers  and  people  gathered  and  a  brisk 
fight,  lasting  over  an  hour,  took  place.  Sud- 
denly there  was  one  clang  on  the  church  bell 
and  the  firing  from  the  roofs  and  belfries 
ceased.  The  soldiers  found  the  keeper  of  the 
church  and  opened  the  doors,  and  a  party  of 
them  made  their  way  to  the  belfry,  where, 
although  they  could  see  where  the  machine- 
gun  had  stood  and  numbers  of  empty  cart- 
ridge cases,  there  was  no  trace  whatsoever  of 
the  gun  or  the  police,  who  had  no  doubt  made 
their  escape  by  some  underground  passage. 

Although  the  original  party  of  soldiers  was 
more  or  less  disorganised,  my  friend  collected 
together  eight  soldiers  and  made  his  way  on 
foot  with  them  to  the  house.  On  arriving 
there  they  found  both  the  owner  and  his 
wife  were  uninjured,  but  the  house  had 
been  thoroughly  ransacked.  It  appears  that 
directly  the  heavy  fusillade  in  the  streets 
started  the  hoohgans  had  decamped.  For 
three  hours  both  the  owner  and  his  wife  had 
been  forced  to  keep  their  hands  up.  This 
tiring  task  they  did  by  sitting  in  arm-chairs 


258       RUSSIA   IN   REVOLUTION 

and  resting  their  elbows  on  the  arms  of  the 
chairs,  while  enduring  the  insults  of  the 
drunken  rabble. 

The  soldiers  then  went  away,  leaving  two 
of  their  number  behind  to  act  as  guards. 
These  soldiers  remained  in  the  house  until 
the  following  evening,  when  the  owner  re- 
turned with  them  to  head-quarters  to  thank 
those  in  charge  for  their  kindness.  Directly 
he  entered  the  office,  however,  he  was  arrested, 
several  of  the  men  demanding  to  know  where 
his  friend  was,  the  one  who  had  come  for 
assistance.  He  stated  that  he  was  not  aware 
of  his  whereabouts,  but  asked  the  reason  for 
this  enquiry. 

They  stated  that  they  did  not  believe  his 
story  now  as  it  was  obvious  that  he  was  in 
league  with  the  police  and  had  arranged  to 
lead  the  soldiers  into  a  trap.  The  owner 
was  kept  under  arrest  for  some  five  hours 
and  then  released,  one  of  the  officers  telling 
him  that  although  he  believed  that  the 
matter  was  genuine,  he  would  advise  that  his 
friend  should  leave  Petrograd  immediately, 
as  if  any  of  the  soldiers  should  meet  him  they 
would  shoot  him  on  sight. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    259 

My  friend  was  naturally  somewhat  per- 
turbed when  he  heard  of  the  turn  of  events, 
but  concluded  that  as  the  soldiers  had  seen 
him  with  a  light  summer  coat  and  a  dvornick's 
hat  they  would  not  recognise  him  in  his 
usual  winter  attire,  and  so  he  remained  and 
risked  detection. 

During  a  particularly  heavy  fusillade  in 
one  of  the  main  thoroughfares,  another  friend 
of  mine  took  refuge  in  a  doorway,  where 
directly  opposite  a  number  of  people  had 
been  killed  and  wounded.  A  motor-car, 
flying  a  Red  Cross  flag,  dashed  up  to  the 
spot,  and  the  chaffeur  endeavoured  to  pick 
up  the  wounded.  Being  unable  to  do  so  by 
himself,  he  called  on  the  people  in  the  door- 
ways to  assist  him  ;  my  friend  immediately 
rushed  out,  holding  up  his  hand  and  shouting, 
"  Krasnie  Krest "  (Red  Cross),  and  then 
assisted  the  chaffeur.  The  police  on  the  roofs, 
however,  continued  to  fire,  one  bullet  in- 
flicting a  serious  scalp  wound  on  my  friend, 
who,  nevertheless,  continued  to  render  assist- 
ance until  all  the  wounded  had  been  picked 
up,  when  he  himself  had  to  receive  medical 
attention. 


26o        RUSSIA    IN   REVOLUTION 

On  the  Monday  evening,  during  the 
sharpest  part  of  the  fighting,  I  was  with 
a  friend  at  the  house  of  one  of  the 
Senators  of  the  Duma,  situated  in  the 
heart  of  the  city.  After  we  had  dined,  my 
friend  and  I  decided  to  make  our  way  to  my 
office  and  we  accordingly  left  the  house.  In 
the  streets  bullets  were  flying  in  every  direc- 
tion, but  by  keeping  close  to  the  walls  of  the 
houses  we  made  our  way  without  injury  to 
the  Nevsky  Prospect,  where  we  were  prac- 
tically the  only  persons  in  that  particular  spot. 

Upon  arriving  at  one  of  the  main  thorough- 
fares crossing  the  Nevsky,  we  were  met  by  a 
hail  of  bullets  from  a  machine-gun  on  one  of 
the  roofs.  Luckily  we  received  no  injury, 
but  certainly  the  situation  was  anything  but 
pleasant  to  hear  the  bullets  whistling  past, 
with  an  occasional  thud  as  they  hit  the  walls. 
The  situation  seemed  to  be  unhealthy,  so  we 
retraced  our  steps  to  the  Senator's  house. 

After  waiting  an  hour  or  so  we  decided  to 
make  another  attempt,  but  before  starting 
telephoned  to  our  office  for  information  as 
to  the  condition  of  affairs  in  its  neighbour- 
hood.    Our  office  man  replied,  "For  God's 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION     261 

sake,  don't  come  this  way,  as  the  fighting 
round  here  is  terrific,  and  there  is  no  chance 
of  your  getting  through."  Not  wishing  to 
impose  upon  our  mutual  friend,  we  decided 
to  endeavour  to  reach  my  friend's  hotel, 
situated  about  a  mile  and  a  half  away  on 
the  other  side  of  our  office.  This  time  we 
avoided  the  main  thoroughfares  as  much  as 
possible,  and  made  our  way  through  numerous 
small  by-streets,  and  although  held  up  con- 
tinually by  fusillades  of  bullets,  we  escaped 
injury. 

Just  before  reaching  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  hotel  we  arrived  at  the  edge  of  a  large 
square  in  front  of  a  church.  We  were  about 
to  cross  this  space,  upon  which  were  a  large 
number  of  people,  when  several  machine- 
guns  opened  fire  into  the  crowd,  which  im- 
mediately dispersed,  leaving  a  number  of 
killed  and  wounded  on  the  snow.  Directly 
the  fusillade  ceased,  we  made  a  dash  across 
the  square,  and  I  myself  counted  over  twenty 
bodies  on  the  snow  ;  we,  however,  crossed 
in  safety,  and  finally  arrived  at  the  hotel,  it 
having  taken  us  over  two  hours  to  cover  the 
mile  and  a  half. 


262       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

A  rather  exciting  experience  occurred  to 
yet  another  friend  of  mine.  Owing  to  the 
fact  that  some  friends  of  his  were  in  danger 
from  hoohgans,  he  had  obtained  a  patrol  of 
soldiers  to  render  assistance.  En  route  he 
was  marching  along  with  the  patrol  when 
some  one  in  the  crowd  shouted,  "  Policeman, 
spy,"  which  called  general  attention  to  him, 
with  the  result  that  he  and  his  patrol  were 
soon  surrounded  by  an  infuriated  mob  yelling 
for  his  blood,  and  it  certainly  looked  very 
suspicious  that  he  should  be  walking  along 
surrounded  by  soldiers. 

One  of  the  soldiers  shouted  to  the  crowd 
that  he  was  an  Englishman  and  that  they 
were  giving  him  assistance.  This,  however, 
the  crowd  would  not  believe  but  still  shouted 
threats.  The  soldiers  then  told  my  friend  to 
leave  them,  and  walk  into  the  crowd,  which 
would  prove  that  he  was  not  a  prisoner.  This 
he  did,  at  the  same  time  stating,  **  I  am  an 
Englishman."  Not  speaking  the  language 
perfectly,  his  pronunciation  was  convincing 
proof.  The  crowd  then  heartily  gave  three 
cheers  for  England  and  allowed  him  to  pro- 
ceed on  his  way  with  the  soldiers. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    263 

He  later  told  me  that  he  had  never  felt 
more  afraid  in  his  life,  and  certainly  thought 
that  his  last  moment  had  come. 

An  English  family,  resident  in  their  house 
adjoining  one  of  the  large  cotton  mills,  were 
sitting  at  home  when  a  large  mob  demanded 
admittance  and  stated  that  they  had  come 
to  search  the  premises.  They  were  sure  that 
the  police  were  in  hiding,  and  also  that 
machine-guns  were  stationed  on  the  mill 
roof. 

The  head  of  the  household  endeavoured 
to  argue  with  them,  when  the  crowd  threat- 
ened to  burn  down  the  whole  place  with  its 
inmates  inside.  The  crowd  left  the  house 
and  opened  upon  it  a  terrific  fusillade.  To 
escape  the  bullets  the  inmates  were  forced 
to  lie  on  the  floor,  where  they  remained  for 
several  hours,  while  the  mob  simply  riddled 
the  house  with  bullets  and  then  left.  Luckily, 
however,  none  of  the  inmates  were  injured. 

As  may  be  imagined,  with  mob  rule  such 
as  existed  on  the  Monday  and  Tuesday,  there 
were  some  who  took  advantage  of  the  con- 
ditions prevailing  to  allow  their  lower  animal 
instincts  to  control  their  actions. 


264       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

In  one  case  a  particularly  detested  police 
officer  of  one  of  the  lower  districts  was 
caught  in  the  streets,  and  so  infuriated  were 
the  mob,  which  consisted  of  the  lowest  possible 
characters  of  the  district,  that  they  simply 
tore  the  hapless  individual  limb  from  limb. 
Although  I  was  not  exactly  an  eye-witness 
of  this  incident,  I  was  on  the  spot  within  a 
few  minutes  of  its  happening,  and  the 
horrible  appearance  of  the  snow,  covered  as 
it  was  with  pieces  of  the  unfortunate  being, 
was  sufficient  evidence  of  the  terrible  event. 

In  isolated  cases  police  officers  were  tied 
to  their  divans  or  sofas  in  their  quartiers, 
covered  with  kerosene  and  then  set  alight. 
It  must  be  clearly  understood  that  this  only 
happened  in  one  or  two  instances  and  was 
by  no  means  a  general  rule.  Nevertheless 
it  indicates  to  what  depths  an  infuriated 
mob  can  sink. 

Some  friends  of  mine,  an  old  retired  gentle- 
man and  his  wife,  live  in  their  own  house  in 
a  very  quiet  neighbourhood  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town.  During  the  night  of  Tuesday,  a 
band  of  criminals  and  hooligans  disguised  as 
soldiers  forced  an   entrance  and  demanded 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    265 

all  the  money  and  valuables.  These,  however, 
luckily — or  unluckily — my  friend  had  de- 
posited a  few  days  before  the  Revolution 
with  his  bankers,  only  having  a  matter  of  a 
few  hundred  roubles  in  the  house,  which  he 
immediately  gave  to  the  looters. 

They,  however,  were  not  satisfied  and  in- 
stigated a  complete  search.  Finding  nothing 
they  broke  into  the  wine  cellar  and  soon 
became  intoxicated.  They  then  proceeded 
to  thrash  my  friend,  his  wife  and  the  servants, 
and  left  them  half -dead  and  in  a  most  pitiable 
condition.  They  endeavoured  to  fire  the 
house,  but  without  success,  as  they  were  dis- 
turbed by  a  party  of  soldiers  who  had  heard 
the  screams  of  the  inmates. 

While  mingling  with  the  crowds  I  was 
suddenly  asked  by  a  hooligan  where  my  red 
ribbon  was.  I  replied  that  I  was  an  English- 
man and  did  not  wish  to  wear  a  red  ribbon. 
This  reply,  however,  did  not  satisfy  my 
enquirer,  who  called  upon  several  others  and 
pointed  out  that  I  was  no  doubt  a  police  spy. 
Luckily,  however,  under  my  greatcoat  in  the 
lapel  of  my  jacket  I  was  wearing  a  small 
Union  Jack.     This  I  showed  to  the  crowd. 


266        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

stating  at  the  same  time  that  although  my 
sympathies  were  entirely  with  them  I  was  an 
Englishman,  and  that  we  had  a  good  King 
who  did  not  like  red  rags  but  preferred  our 
flag.  This  reply  apparently  pleased  the 
people,  who  immediately  gave  three  cheers 
for  England,  and  allowed  me  to  proceed  on 
my  way. 

This  is  very  indicative  of  the  feeling  of  the 
people  towards  England  and  the  Allies,  for 
in  no  single  instance  was  a  foreigner  know- 
ingly molested.  During  the  whole  of  the 
fighting  only  one  Englishman  was  killed,  and 
it  was  purely  his  own  fault,  as  he  went  on  the 
roof  of  a  mill  with  the  idea  of  "  seeing  the 
fun,"  and  upon  looking  over  the  parapet  he 
received  a  bullet  through  his  head,  as  the 
crowd  naturally  thought  he  was  a  policeman. 
Where  English  families  were  subjected  to  any 
violence  it  was  in  every  case  by  the  hooligans 
and  criminals,  the  soldiers  and  the  people 
being  always  willing  to  give  every  assistance 
in  their  power  for  protection. 

The  majority  of  the  Army  officers  who 
were  killed  in  the  streets  were  elderly  men 
who  had  spent  the  best  part  of  their  lives  in 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    267 

the  Army.  These  men  had  always  been 
accustomed  to  the  most  impHcit  obedience 
from  the  soldiers  and  could  not  easily  grasp 
the  new  state  of  affairs  now  that  they  and 
the  soldiers  were  on  an  equal  footing  and 
were  all  *'  brothers." 

One  old  retired  general  I  saw  walking  in 
front  of  the  Winter  Palace  was  stopped  by 
three  soldiers,  who  roughly  demanded  the 
surrender  of  his  sword.  The  old  gentleman 
did  not  understand  what  they  meant  at  first, 
but  upon  their  repeating  their  demand  he 
shook  his  head.  One  of  the  soldiers  immedi- 
ately brained  him  with  the  butt-end  of  his 
rifle,  and  then  unbuckled  the  sword  from  the 
body. 

Many  policemen  were  caught  endeavouring 
to  escape  in  various  disguises,  and  I  noticed 
one  walking  along  disguised  as  a  woman.  He 
was  a  tall  man,  standing  fully  six  feet,  and 
broad-shouldered,  and  his  general  bearing 
and  walk  was  certainly  anything  but  feminine. 
He  was  wearing  a  thick  veil  at  the  time.  He 
was  soon  noticed  by  people  in  the  crowd,  who 
stopped  him  and  took  off  his  hat,  which  came 
away  with  a  long  wig  and  the  thick  veil, 


268       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

leaving  a  very  coarse-featured  masculine  face 
with  a  heavy  moustache.  He  immediately 
fell  on  his  knees  and  begged  for  mercy,  but 
the  crowd  dispatched  him  without  further 
ado. 

Throughout  the  days  of  strife  the  mor- 
tuaries and  buildings  assigned  for  the  dead 
were  thronged  with  people  seeking  missing 
relatives.  I  visited  one  of  these  mortuaries, 
and  was  more  than  shocked  to  see  the 
numerous  stacks  of  dead,  who,  owing  to  the 
severe  cold,  were  frozen  and  stacked  up  in 
piles  like  wood.  No  policemen's  bodies  were 
to  be  seen,  as  for  two  or  three  days  these 
were  left  in  the  streets,  more  especially  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  where  the  people 
refused  to  allow  any  one  to  touch  them, 
stating,  *'  They  are  not  worth  the  trouble  of 
touching  as  they  are  only  food  for  dogs." 
Directly  the  citizen  militia  took  control  of 
affairs  these  gruesome  sights  were  removed. 
When  the  body  of  a  missing  relative  or 
friend  was  found  in  one  of  the  mortuaries, 
the  relatives  would  secure  a  hastily  con- 
structed coffin  and  remove  the  corpse. 

Many  people  have  asked  me  what  it  feels 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    269 

like  to  be  in  a  revolution  and  whether  I  was 
afraid.  To  be  perfectly  honest  I  must  say 
that  there  were  several  occasions  when  I 
was  anxious  for  my  personal  safety.  Although 
I  never  experienced  any  feelings  of  fear,  the 
paramount  idea  being  that  one  would  not  be 
hit,  and  as  a  foreigner,  whatever  one's  inner 
feelings  were,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  bold 
front.  Although  this  was  my  first  experience 
of  a  revolution,  it  was  not  the  first  time  I  had 
seen  street  fighting,  for  during  my  twelve 
years  in  Russia  I  had  witnessed  several 
bloody  revolts.  Still,  it  is  certainly  the  last 
revolution  I  wish  to  see. 

I  left  Petrograd  on  March  25th  (March 
12th),  after  experiencing  some  little  difficulty 
with  regard  to  my  passport.  However,  owing 
to  the  nature  of  the  business  in  which  I  am 
engaged,  every  facility  was  given  me.  At 
the  station  it  was  certainly  strange  to  see 
everything  under  the  control  of  the  soldiers, 
the  usual  customs  and  police  officials  being 
absent. 

During  the  journey  through  Finland  one 
is  usually  subjected  to  customs  and  passport 
examination   on   the    Russian   and   Finnisli 


270        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

frontier,  and  again  on  the  Finnish-Swedish 
frontier.  This  time,  however,  on  ten  different 
occasions  throughout  the  journey  through 
Finland,  soldiers  boarded  the  train  and 
demanded  to  see  every  passenger's  passport. 
During  the  night  I  was  roughly  awakened  by 
a  soldier  who  demanded  my  passport,  but 
upon  seeing  that  I  was  an  Englishman  he 
passed  on. 

I  asked  one  soldier  what  was  the  object  of 
these  continual  enquiries  and  was  informed 
that  they  were  looking  for  officers  endeavour- 
ing to  escape.  In  all  cases,  however,  they 
treated  me  with  the  greatest  civility,  more 
especially  when  I  told  them  I  was  an  English- 
man. Upon  arriving  at  the  Swedish  frontier 
it  was  certainly  most  strange  to  look  across 
the  frontier  line  and  see  the  blood-red  flag  of 
revolution  waving  from  the  Russian  Customs 
House. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE   FUTURE 

y4  S  I  look  back  upon  the  events  of  the 
/%  Five  Days  of  the  Russian  Revolu- 
JL  jL-tion  they  seem  to  me  full  of  contra- 
dictions. Men  who  one  moment  were  pushing 
living  policemen  through  holes  in  the  ice  into 
the  flowing  Neva  beneath,  the  next  were 
showing  a  restraint  and  sense  of  justice  that 
were  astonishing. 

In  a  few  hours  the  Revolutionary  leaders 
changed  the  whole  aspect  of  their  organisa- 
tion, took  control  of  a  revolt  from  which  they 
had  expected  nothing,  and  turned  it  into  a 
Revolution  from  which  not  only  Russia  but 
the  whole  civilised  world  expects  every- 
thing. 

A  city  of  two  millions  of  people,  the  lower 
orders  of  which  were  on  the  borderland  of 
starvation,  was,  almost  in  a  matter  of  hours, 

271 


272        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

supplied  with  the  food  so  necessary  to  the 
preservation  of  order. 

Thousands  of  liberated  criminals  were 
tracked  down,  arrested,  and  reimprisoned 
that  they  might  not  become  a  public 
danger. 

During  the  very  worst  of  the  fighting,  when 
the  fate  of  Russia  hung  in  the  balance,  trains 
were  running,  telephones  working,  and  tele- 
grams being  transmitted. 

The  lives  of  foreigners  were  protected  and 
their  property  safeguarded,  and  yet  this  was 
a  Revolution  that  was  literally  sprung  upon 
those  who  subsequently  controlled  it.  Am  I 
prejudiced  when  I  say  "  Wonderful  Russia  "  ? 

To  understand  the  situation  created  by  the 
success  of  the  Revolution  it  is  necessary  to 
know  the  various  factors  or  factions  at  work. 
There  are  at  the  present  moment  in  Russia 
eight  distinct  parties,  each  with  its  own  ideals. 
They  are  : — 

1.  The  Revolutionary  Party. 

2.  The  Soldiers'  Party. 

3.  The  Workmen's  Party. 

4.  The  Jewish  Party. 


THE  FUTURE  273 

5.  The  Socialist  Party. 

6.  The  Nihihst  Party. 

7.  The  RoyaHst  Party. 

8.  The  PoHce  Party. 

It  cannot  be  said  with  any  amount  of  cer- 
tainty that  any  of  the  first  six  parties  will 
work  together  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  the 
Royalist  and  Police  parties  will  never  be  at 
variance.  They  have  a  common  object,  the 
return  of  the  old  regime. 

If  the  Revolutionary,  Workmen's,  and 
Soldiers'  parties  could  combine  no  other  com- 
bination would  be  able  to  challenge  their 
position,  not  even  if  the  Royalist  and  Police 
parties  were  to  combine  with  the  other  three 
factions,  which  is  unthinkable. 

The  object  of  the  Revolutionary  Party  is 
the  progress  of  Russia.  The  Workmen's, 
Soldiers',  Socialist,  and  Jewish  parties  are  out 
for  themselves  ;  they  are  individualists.  The 
Nihilists  of  course  represent  anarchy,  and 
they  are  powerful  mainly  on  account  of 
possessing  some  very  able  orators.  The 
Royalist  and  the  Police  parties  will  work  for 
the  return  of  the  old  order  of  things,  and  were 


274        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

they  to  succeed  their  day  of  reckoning  would 
be  terrible. 

One  surprise  of  this  Revolution  of  surprises 
was  the  extraordinary  influx  of  Jews  into 
Petrograd  and  the  prohibited  towns  and 
districts  when  the  victory  of  the  people  was 
assured. 

In  Russia  the  Jews  are  allowed  to  live  only 
in  certain  Governments  and  portions  of 
Governments.  There  are  large  districts  of 
country  and  a  number  of  cities,  towns,  and 
villages  which  they  are  forbidden  to  enter 
unless  they  have  a  certificate  or  diploma 
proving  them  to  be  members  of  some  profes- 
sion or  practising  a  definite  trade.  The  result 
of  this  is  that  Jews  who  want  to  carry  on 
their  ordinary  vocation  in  the  prohibited  dis- 
tricts study  some  profession  to  enable  them  to 
secure  the  necessary  certificate.  Then,  with 
a  brass  plate  upon  his  door  announcing  that 
he  is  a  dentist,  doctor,  or  lawyer,  the  Jew  can 
sub  rosa  carry  on  whatever  trade  or  profession 
he  may  choose  in  a  city  or  district  which 
officially  is  taboo. 

The  power  of  the  Jews  lies  largely  in  their 
wealth  and  their  perfect  system  of  organisa- 


THE  FUTURE  275 

tion.  Above  all,  in  the  subtle  methods  they 
adopt  ;  they  fight  with  their  brains  and  are 
more  than  a  match  for  the  unsophisticated 
Russian. 

At  present  Russia  does  not  know  her  own 
mind.  The  people  are  too  new  to  liberty  to 
understand  its  uses  and  to  know  how  to  avoid 
its  abuses.  Simple-minded  and  instinctively 
honest  according  to  his  lights,  the  Russian  is 
easily  influenced.  An  impassioned  orator  can 
change  the  political  views  and  aspirations  of 
a  whole  district.  For  instance,  in  Petrograd 
itself  the  man  who  would  dare  to  cry  *'  Daloi 
Voinu  "  (Down  with  the  War)  would  be  half 
killed  ;  yet  if  that  same  man  took  a  drojski 
(cab)  to  certain  suburbs,  and  thinking  to 
readjust  matters  by  crying  "  Dazdrastvuet 
Respublica  Voina  e  Pobeda "  (Long  Live 
the  Republic,  War  and  Victory),  he  would 
undergo  exactly  the  same  treatment  as  he 
had  previously  undergone  for  expressing  the 
diametrically  opposite  sentiments. 

The  explanation  lies  in  the  power  of  the 
local  orators.  The  poorer  classes  of  Russia 
have  never  been  accustomed  to  having  an 
opinion  of  their  own.     Everything  has  been 


276        RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

settled  for  them  to  their  own  disadvantage. 
Now  they  find  themselves  a  political  factor, 
they  are  hopelessly  at  sea,  the  prey  of  the 
last  unscupulous  demagogue  they  have  heard. 

Shortly  after  the  Revolution  I  witnessed  an 
amusing  incident,  which  to  my  mind  contains 
the  kernel  of  the  whole  matter.  Walking 
along  the  Liegofskaya  Ulitza,  I  paused  to 
listen  to  a  perfervid  orator,  who,  perched  on 
a  wooden  box,  was  telling  the  crowd  what  the 
people  must  have  and  how  they  must  take  it. 
Presently  three  men-of-war's  men  lounged  up 
and  stood  for  a  few  minutes  listening. 

One  of  the  sailors  was  a  giant,  standing 
nearly  seven  feet  high.  After  a  short  time  he 
seemed  to  lose  patience  and,  pushing  his  way 
through  the  crowd,  went  up  to  the  orator  and, 
grasping  him  by  the  coat  collar  with  one  hand, 
shook  him  like  a  rat.  I  could  almost  hear  the 
poor  wretch's  teeth  rattle.  "  Look  here,  you 
shut  up,"  he  exclaimed  good-humouredty, 
"  We  won  this  Revolution,  not  you."  He 
then  dropped  the  man  and  walked  away, 
whilst  the  orator  was  muttering,  "I'm  very 
sorry,  I  didn't  mean  it."  The  crowd  enjoyed 
the  incident  immensely,  and  the  orator's  hold 


THE  FUTURE  277 

upon  them  had  vanished,  and  whilst  they 
cheered  the  sailors  the  orator  himself  dis- 
appeared. 

Of  one  thing  there  is  no  doubt,  and  that  is 
the  general  enthusiasm  of  the  Russian  popu- 
lace for  this  country.  On  one  occasion  a 
British  officer  entered  a  theatre  and  was 
recognised  by  the  audience.  The  bandmaster 
struck  up  the  National  Anthem  and  the  audi- 
ence, forgetting  the  show,  cheered  the  officer 
enthusiastically.  When  he  had  recovered 
from  his  surprise  the  offtcer  bowed  his  acknow- 
ledgments and  the  performance  was  resumed. 

When  British  officers  are  dining  in  a  res- 
taurant, some  time  during  the  evening  the 
British  National  Anthem  is  always  played  as 
a  comphment  to  them.  In  the  early  days  of 
the  war  many  Russian  bandmasters  were 
under  the  impression  that  ''Tipperary  "  was 
our  National  Anthem,  and  this  they  played 
very  assiduously ;  but  they  were  told  of 
their  error  and  fell  back  on  the  more  ancient 
melody. 

After  the  success  of  the  Revolution  the 
Russian  nation  was  not  unlike  those  political 
prisoners    whom    the    Revolution    released. 


278       RUSSIA  IN   REVOLUTION 

Accustomed  to  the  murky  gloom  of  their 
dungeons,  when  brought  into  the  brilUant 
dayUght  they  were  bhnded  and  did  not  know 
where  to  turn.  They  were  stunned  by  their 
freedom. 

For  centuries  Russia  has  groaned  under  the 
despotism  of  which  the  average  Briton  can 
have  no  conception.  It  is  not  strange  that 
when,  without  warning,  she  found  herself 
freed  from  its  bonds  she  should  stagger 
uncertainl}^  not  knowing  where  to  turn.  The 
immediate  future  will  see  faction  striving 
against  faction,  party  fighting  against  party. 
No  one  who  knows  Russia  will  dare  to  pro- 
phesy what  the  result  will  be  ;  but  the  ulti- 
mate end  will  be  for  the  good  of  the  country, 
just  as  in  the  case  of  the  French  and  the 
English  Revolutions. 

It  will  take  time  for  Russia  to  realise  what 
she  wants.  There  is  no  cohesion,  no  common 
ideal  to  inspire  her  people.  She  is  conscious  of 
having  killed  a  dragon ;  that  is  all.  The 
workmen  remember  their  long  hours  and  in- 
sufficient pay  ;  the  soldiers  their  harsh  treat- 
ment and  their  miserable  pittance  of  little 
more  than  a  penny  a  week.     The  returned 


THE  FUTURE  279 

exiles  look  at  their  wasted  frames  and  the  lost 
years  of  their  life  spent  in  Siberia  ;  the  Jews 
remember  the  pogroms  and  forget  their  own 
avariciousness  that  caused  them.  The  Social- 
ists think  of  the  Rights  of  Man  and  how  little 
they  have  seen  of  them  in  the  past  ;  the 
Nihilists,  Royalists,  and  Police  have  a  common 
aspiration — blood. 

With  all  these  warring  factors  at  work  the 
future  of  Russia  seems  overcast ;  but  she  will 
work  out  her  own  destiny,  just  as  other 
countries  have  done.  There  will  be  bloodshed, 
temporary  anarchy,  even  civil  war.  It  is  not 
impossible  that  the  soldiers  from  the  fronts 
may  prove  the  determining  factor  in  the 
nation's  deliverance.  It  would  be  quite  in 
keeping  with  the  Russian  character,  however, 
if  her  salvation  eventually  lay  in  the  cry  that 
rescued  France  from  chaos  upwards  of  a  cen- 
tury ago  when  the  whole  of  Europe  was 
thundering  at  her  gates  :  "  The  Country  is 
in  Danger  !  " 

THE   END 


